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Cathedral city not gay enough
By: Nigel Robinson

Canterbury "not gay enough"

The city of Canterbury is not gay enough

"we are very disappointed that they have referred this to the ombudsman"

That is the complaint of a local gay group, Pride in Canterbury, which has referred the matter to the local government ombudsman.

The group has lodged the complaint on the grounds that the cathedral city doesn’t have a gay bar or community centre, and that the tourist board has made little effort to attract the pink pound.

The group has declared that Canterbury is a cultural wasteland for the LGBT community.

Chief Executive Colin Carmichael of the Conservative-run city council disagreed and said that the council had given Pride in Canterbury £4000 since 2005 towards the gay community.

"The council strongly refutes any suggestion by Pride in Canterbury that we do not want to engage with the gay community and we are very disappointed that they have referred this to the ombudsman," Mr Carmichael said.

However, Andrew Bretell, a spokesman for Pride in Canterbury, claimed that the council did not want a thriving gay community in the city.

The nearest gay bar is seventeen miles away in Margate.

The ombudsman will deliver his judgment on 20 May