TWO Remembrance Sunday services will be held within 100 metres of each other in Keyworth for the second year running because of a village dispute.
Meanwhile, Notts County Council is planning to spend £20,000 to create a second place of memorial in the village because of the feud.
The situation arose in 2010 because of a dispute between businessman Cameron Ross and councillors over a war memorial, paid for by Mr Ross and built on his land at the corner of Bunny Lane and Nottingham Road.
Relations between the two sides allegedly soured over Mr Ross' plans to extend the site of the old Royal British Legion base in Bunny Lane.
This allegedly led to Mr Ross saying at the time that Rushcliffe borough councillor Sam Boote was not allowed to walk across a paved area on his land to lay a wreath. It led to a second Remembrance Sunday service being held outside the gates to the Keyworth recreation ground last year.
Now the council plans to replace the brick pillars that support the gates with stone. It wants to have the names of the dead engraved into this stone.
Parish councillor Tony Grice said: "I would prefer not to do it but unfortunately we can't risk people being refused access to lay a wreath which is what happened to start it off. It's unfortunate.
"Anyone, no matter who they are, should have access to lay a wreath on memorial day."
Mr Grice added: "It's not about politics, it's not about parish, borough or county councils, it's about paying homage to those who died to serve our country."
Notts County councillor John Cottee, who represents Keyworth and is also the chairman of the culture committee, said: "The gates are in a poor state of repair so I'm delighted to be able to access funds from the Local Improvement Scheme to upgrade and repair them."
The council's Local Improvement Scheme has spent half a million pounds so far in restoring and creating war memorials across Notts.
However Mr Ross' friend John North, of Mable Close, Keyworth, said it was a waste of taxpayers' money. The Post tried to contact Mr Ross but was unable to reach him.
In a letter sent to councillors last year, he said he had never refused access to the memorial to anyone.
Mr North rang in response to an e-mail the Post sent Mr Ross' business address, claiming to speak "on behalf" of him.
Mr North confirmed that a service of remembrance would take place at Mr Ross' memorial tomorrow.
He said the event was open to everybody to attend.
He also said that nobody – including Mr Boote – had ever been barred from visiting the memorial.
"I raised a petition against public money being spent on an issue that could be easily resolved," said Mr North.
"I'm totally against it. I'm not against the enhancement of memorial gates but why wasn't it done ten or 20 years ago? Why suddenly now? All they're doing is spending ratepayers' money on a situation that could be resolved in another way."
See Remembrance poems and events listings on page 16.
