The organisers of the Glastonbury Festival were today granted a licence for the international music event. In December the regulatory board of Mendip District Council in Somerset refused a public entertainment licence for the event after a number of concerns were raised including security in nearby villages and environmental damage.
But in the early hours of this morning, following a seven-hour meeting at the council offices in Shepton Mallet, the board voted 10-4 to approve the licence for the event to go ahead in June. Speaking after the meeting, event promoter Michael Eavis said he was delighted the festival was returning to Worthy Farm in Pilton. "After losing it last time we were worried, but we did a spanking good presentation," he said. "I’ve never worked so hard as this in my life with getting people to come along and speak at the meeting. It was a really good meeting and we will now concentrate on the problems of the villages for this year’s festival. No-one cares more about Pilton than I do."