A Sussex village hall due to host a talk by BNP leader Nick Griffin on Sunday (23 October) cancelled the event after council bosses threatened to remove its rates relief if the meeting went ahead.

Hastings Borough Council said the talk at Baldslow War Memorial Hall in St Leonards would have been "contrary to the interests of the community" and warned those who run the hall that the £376 charity rate relief received from the council would have to be paid back if the event were to have taken place. The charity (charity registration 305163) submitted accounts to the Commission for the last five years showing an income totalling just £670.

Council leader Jeremy Birch said: "I can't agree that Hastings people should be subsidising a charity that's prepared to provide a platform to someone who is so completely opposed to the community harmony philosophy of this local authority." 

The BBC reported that the Council sought Charity Commission advice for whether the charity is allowed to host such events under the Commission's regulation; however a spokesperson for the regulator said that no formal enquiry was received.

The BNP's spokesman Simon Darby accused the Labour-run Council of being politically motivated and of blackmailing the charity: "It's quite beyond belief what they are trying to do. They're basically seeking to tax people who don't agree with the Labour Party, which is not really the British way to do things.

"It's effectively blackmail, putting a gun to the people that run the hall by giving them a financial penalty if Nick is allowed to speak there. He's an MEP; he's not some person off the street," Darby said.

The Charity Commission offers specific advice for village halls  in its Speaking Out: Guidance on campaigning and political activity, stating that: "Such charities should not generally discriminate between organisations on the basis of the views they hold."