BEAMINSTER town councillors have rejected a request from the town’s Royal British Legion (RBL) branch after they “assumed” the council would pay and “slagged them off” on social media.

The Beaminster branch of the RBL wanted a £100 grant towards the cost of hiring a band for the Remembrance parade, which town clerk Christine Bright said may cost in the region of £200 to £250.

But Cllr Janet Page said that they hadn’t asked them in advance for the money and grant money was already allocated for this year as they had set the budget earlier in the month.

She said: “The British Legion – it says requested which is not quite the right word – is assuming that we will give them the money towards the band they haven’t asked us in advance.

“I really do think that people should not assume that we are going to pay for things that we might have done in the past without asking us, I really think they should ask in advance so that we know in the budget what is coming.

“I would like to say sorry, but not on this occasion.”

Cllr Alan Hawkins agreed, and said members of the legion “slagged them off” on social media.

Comments were made on social media about the time it took in installing the silhouettes of soldiers in the town for Remembrance Day last year, the town council using poppies from a collection and whether a donation was made and the RBL branch crediting Cllr Nigel Corbett for a display in the Square when other councillors insisted it was the effort of the whole town council.

However, Cllr Dominic Faulkner said: “While I agree entirely, the danger will be if we don’t, we will get slagged off on social media again for being stingy and not giving money.”

Cllr Page added: “We have spent our money for this year. We don’t actually have any grant money to give them.

“We have nothing against giving them a grant next year, it was the assumption we were going to pay for it – they didn’t ask and they assumed we would.”

The Bridport News contacted the RBL after the meeting but a representative did not wish to comment.