Former tourism, culture and the arts minister Randall Mitchell has criticised a decision by the Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) to ban fetes at all facilities managed by the corporation including the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and Hasely Crawford Stadium.

In a statement, Mitchell said, "TT’s cultural expression cannot and must not be reduced to that one word, 'noise'. We are long past those days." He added, "Our cultural economy and those creatives who work tirelessly to create and produce cultural products must never be reduced and be described as a nuisance.

While noise pollution is a legitimate concern, Mitchell warned, "Banning cultural events and cultural event spaces is not the solution."