Members received the report of the Executive Director outlining a policy for approving temporary street closure orders for public celebrations, deferred from the last meeting of the Licensing and General Purposes Committee.

Although the legislation defined circumstances when the District Council could make a road closure order, a policy would assist officers in determining applications.  Events were not to be promoted for private gain and were to be for a genuinely public event.

It was outlined to Members that the following points were to be incorporated into the policy:

•     In all cases except Remembrance, a fee of £100 or a fee set by Cabinet would be payable.

•     Applicants must comply with Police requests made to ensure the safety of a public event (e.g. carnival).

•     A list of cultural or community events, or similar, that a road closure would facilitate was provided within the policy.

•     For events not on the list, Orders would only be made if the previous year’s audited accounts showed that over 50% of the profit from the event was paid to a registered or local charity, unless the Licensing Committee approved a lower percentage. For first-time applications, an undertaking must be given that this would apply.

•     Applicants must provide an adequate event management plan (including risk assessments) with the application to show how the event could take place without creating unnecessary or uncontrolled hazards to the public.

•     Applicants undertake to litter pick the road after the event as far as reasonably practical, or if this does not occur pay for any exceptional street cleaning costs.

•     Applicants provide evidence of having adequate Public Liability Insurance.

•     The applicant has a right of appeal against a refusal to the Licensing and General Purposes Committee.

Members were given the opportunity to ask questions and the following points were noted from the discussions:

•     any profit made that was not to be paid to a registered or local charity should be invested into the following year’s event and event organisers would need to indicate the level of spending required.  This should not be excessive;

•     the table of events listed in the policy was not a definitive list and similar events would be added over time;

•     any matters that did not fall within the policy (e.g. a for-profit event) would be referred to the Licensing and General Purposes Committee;

•     it was requested and agreed that the following paragraph be removed from the policy: “For events not falling within this definition, Orders will only be made if the previous years’ audited accounts show that over fifty percent (50%) of the profit from the event was paid to a registered or local charity. For first-time applications, an undertaking must be given that this will apply” and replaced with wording to ensure that “all proceeds of the event must be donated to a registered or local charity, allowing for a small carry-over in monies that is deemed reasonable to support the continuation of the event for future years.”

RECOMMENDED: That the policy for approving temporary street closure orders, as amended, be approved and adopted.