I'm sorry that 40DL has had problems but there is one particular B & B where I know the owner has caused problems to the neighbours by instructing his customers to park in spaces which are not actually his - I don't know which one you refer to but it might be this very one.
And yes there has been some animosity between the town and the festival organisers but there are historical reasons for that - lets hope this year can put those to rest. The difference is that this year those involved are local, know a lot of the locals and know a lot of the local issues.
As the person who dealt with the adverts in 2004 and 2005 I can't say I had difficulty in getting people to take them. The take up was only limited by the time I had available although, as always, there are a few who don't want to play but they are certainly the minority.