The organisers managed to antagonise the locals from day one. The original site was totally unsuitable for a festival, being acoustically close to a number of dwellings, and accessible only by very narrow country lanes. Allegedly there was some sculduggery with both planning permission and licensing laws, and in the end the council saw sense and put their foot down.

Unlike the nearby Stainsby festival the Handley Village Festival (which has nothing to do with the Village incidentally) was a totally profit-making venture by the organisers. Had they done it for charity, as Stainsby does, they would have had a much more sympathetic hearing.