Poppy Appeal problems "will be put right" (From Salisbury Journal)

Poppy Appeal problems "will be put right"

12:23pm Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News By Hannah White

CHANGES to Wiltshire Council’s street collection policy that left Salisbury’s Poppy Appeal £2,000 down on last year “will be put right”, according to the head of the licensing committee.

Cllr Jonathon Seed said: “Whatever happens, I, as chairman, will make sure that if we need to change the policy we will do so, so that the Royal British Legion can collect for the Poppy Appeal next year unimpeded. If we’ve got it wrong then I will make sure it is right next year.”

Salisbury Poppy Appeal collectors were left outraged that the charity was only allowed to collect on two days before Remembrance Day instead of its usual seven days.

Cllr Seed said that problems with Salisbury’s collection this year were down to a combination of changes to the Poppy Appeal collections programme and the council’s licensing policy.

The council’s licensing changes were brought in to harmonise the different policies administered by the former district councils and Cllr Seed said Wiltshire Council consulted widely with no problems being raised at the time.

Cllr Seed said: “As a retired army officer, I naturally support the Poppy Appeal and would like to do all that I can to make life as simple as possible for the Poppy Appeal collectors.”

The news has been welcomed by the Salisbury branch of the Royal British Legion. The city’s Poppy Appeal organiser Cindy Nelson-Twiby said: “I think it will be brilliant. We are getting so many more wounded soldiers coming back and we needed £42million this year so what are we going to need next year?

“I still firmly believe that the Poppy Appeal can only be collected at that time of the year and it will be good if they are prepared to put some changes in place. We can focus on who can do what, where and when.”