The dispute between the BFBB and staff at the British Brass Band Registry appears to have escalated with the breaking news that bands are now being advised not to send any registration enquiries to the Registry.

Trying to resolve

A spokesperson for the staff told 4BR: "As we wish to update everyone as things progress, and in the absence of any comment from the BFBB, we wish to assure everyone that we are trying to resolve the situation as quickly as possible."

BFBB informed

The members of staff have also informed 4BR that contrary to the statement given by the BFBB, at least two BFBB committee members, including the BFBB Chairman received a statement concerning industrial action from them.

They added: "We are doing everything we can to minimise any inconvenience to bands and contests and publicly invite the BFBB to get round a table to find a way to resolve the unacceptable situation that they have created. Please let’s all do whatever we can to encourage the BFBB to finally start talking."

We are doing everything we can to minimise any inconvenience to bands and contests and publicly invite the BFBB to get round a table to find a way to resolve the unacceptable situation that they have createdRegistry staff

Security

However, they also went on to say: "We must also assure everyone of the security and integrity of your personal information retained within the British Brass Band Registry office as we are very conscious that many thousands of individuals will naturally be concerned.

Please contact contest organisers if you are concerned about procedures for forthcoming contests.

We advise that registration applications should not be sent to the Registry for the time being."

Separate entities

The staff also informed 4BR that it is their clear understanding that the British Brass Band Registry is not a component of the BFBB Charity operation, and that the Registry rights are in fact assigned to the subsidiary trading company BFBB Contests Ltd., a completely separate legal entity.

Data protection

They also stated that the Registry data is protected by the Registry Data Protection Policy (available upon request) and that the Registry Data Protection Policy stipulates that only authorised data processors may access or process personal information therefore it is fully protected from illegal unauthorised access.

This includes the computerised data, manual filing systems and correspondence to the body.

Endeavour

Staff members Lynn Johnson and Ann Thorpe informed 4BR that they are aware that the situation is far from ideal, but reiterated that they hope the matter can still be resolved quickly.

They added: "Once again, please accept our sincere apologies for the current disruption, and our assurances that we will endeavour to resolve the problems as soon as possible. In the meantime, we will keep everyone fully informed."