CHARD TOWN COUNCIL REFUSES TO LET ANTI-HUNTING CAMPAIGNERS SPEAK

Every Boxing Day, the Cotley Hunt comes into Chard, Somerset. For several years, AAF Somerset has challenged the meet on behalf of local residents who do not want a hunt gathering in their town centre.

Until 2022, the Hunt routinely stopped on the A30, blocking the main road through Chard with horses and hounds and preventing traffic from passing. This was unlawful under the Road Traffic Act. After we raised the issue with Somerset Council, the council required the Hunt to apply for a road-closure order like any other event. The Hunt complied, and began providing stewards in hi-vis vests.

Another concern was the hounds. Children—often very young—were encouraged to pet them, despite the lack of handwashing facilities. We asked Somerset Council to address this. The following year, the Hunt brought hand sanitiser, but this is inadequate for dealing with parasite eggs, which hounds can easily carry.

We also challenged the Boxing Day bucket collections. Hunts traditionally use these meets to collect money for “hunt staff”. However, street collections need a licence, an approved container, and visible paperwork. After this was raised, the Hunt displayed the required documents.

So, over time, the meet has changed. It is no longer the unregulated event it once was. The organisers now have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

But these procedural improvements do not change the underlying issue: the Cotley Hunt describes itself as a trail hunt, yet repeatedly behaves in a way inconsistent with that claim.

For example, on National Trail Hunting Day—intended to showcase lawful trail hunting—the Cotley hounds encountered roe deer and immediately pursued them, clearly reacting to live quarry rather than a laid trail. On 22 October, they were recorded trespassing on National Trust land, where hunting is banned. A few years earlier, they were sanctioned by the Stockland Parish Council for trespassing on the Turbaries. The purpose of such trespass is obvious: hunting for, or following, foxes.

There is also the fact that Gordon Herrod, a former huntsman for the Cotley, is due in court next March on rape charges. 

This context formed the background to this year’s concerns.

On 17th November 2025, in Devon, Tiverton Town Council voted to inform the Tiverton Foxhounds that they were “not welcome” in the town on Boxing Day.  Somerset Campaigners emailed the council outlining the health and safety issues associated with holding a hunt meet in the town centre. The council responded that these matters were for Somerset Council, not them. In a subsequent email, AAF Somerset asked Chard Town Council to consider “UN-inviting” the Hunt to Chard (in a similar way as Tiverton).  

Campaigners requested that the issue be placed on the agenda, intending to use the standard three-minute public speaking slot at the start of the meeting to make their case. However, when they attempted to speak, the Mayor stopped them almost immediately, stating that the council had already replied by email.

The essential point, however, had not been addressed:
Would the Town Council withdraw any implied permission or support for the Hunt’s presence in the town?

Chard Town Council does not explicitly endorse the Hunt, but nor will it publicly distance itself. Hunts rely heavily on the appearance of council approval; simply assembling in a town centre on Boxing Day creates that impression, even when councils have little power to prevent them from arriving.

The strong reaction from hunting organisations after Tiverton’s decision shows how important that appearance is. Hunts can still turn up without council support, but the support itself—or the impression of it—matters to them.

The question remains unresolved. The Town Council originally invited the Hunt into Chard. It is therefore reasonable to ask why the Council cannot also state that the Hunt is no longer welcome.