Royal Wedding: come together and celebrate
Prime Minister David Cameron has said people planning a Royal Wedding street party should be able to organise their celebrations without any red tape or legislation getting in the way - and urged people to get planning.
It is estimated that two million people will take part in street parties across the country on April 29, but many may have been put off by rules and regulations imposed by councils.
Today, the Prime Minister urged all councils and organisers to use a common sense approach and do away with unnecessary red tape.
The PM said:
To those councils that are asking small groups of neighbours for licenses, insurance and other bureaucracy my message is clear: don’t interfere, don’t get in the way, and don’t make problems where there are none. Let people get on and have fun.
And my message to everyone who wants to have a street party is: I’m having one and I want you to go ahead and have one too.
There are already around 4,000 street parties planned across Britain - and there’s still time to organise many more. The DirectGov website has information on how to host street parties in your area - just enter your postcode.
Last year, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles issued new guidance on organising street parties and summer fetes and replaced the complicated bureaucracy of forms, permissions and risk assessments with a simple checklist which most local authorities are now using. He also called for a proportionate, common sense approach from councils for fun events.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond also wrote to all local councils in England in February informing them that he was cutting Whitehall red tape by scrapping existing Government road-closure guidance.
The move is designed to make it easier for councils to let street parties go ahead and allow local communities to celebrate without being inundated by paperwork.
Statements and articles: PM’s article in The Sun on Royal Wedding street parties
Read more: Prime Minister busts the myths on red tape for Royal Wedding street parties