Councillor Will Sandry, who is on a mission to promote sensible attitudes towards health and safety, has welcomed the publication of advice for residents wishing to hold street parties and community events to celebrate the Royal Wedding in April.

The Council’s online guidance brings together all the information needed to organise a local street party, such as advice on how to get a residential street closed to traffic and reassurance that event licences and complex risk assessments are not needed for small, community events. The Council has also announced that road closure fees for Royal Wedding street parties are to be waived.

Will led the Council in signing up to the Health and Safety Executive’s ten principles of Sensible Risk Management and last year asked the Council’s strategic director for service delivery to do more to facilitate community events and to cut red tape.

Will said:

“I’m very pleased that the Council has said ‘yes’ to street parties. Last summer I helped the residents of First Avenue in Oldfield plan their street party and, at that time, navigating the different Council departments was very difficult.

“It’s good that the Council has come up with sensible and straightforward guidance for the community about how they can come together and enjoy a street party and has made it clear that community events do not require lots of expense or paperwork.

“I hope that this guidance will be updated after the Royal Wedding to help residents who wish to organise other community events.”