Liverpool City Council to help communities get their street party planning under way ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The special bank holiday weekend runs from Thursday 2 to Sunday 5 June and it is expected that local communities will be eager to organise an outdoor get-together to mark the celebrations.
The city council is asking organisers to fill in a special online form which can then start the process of getting all the relevant permissions in place.
And to give people an added incentive, the city council is waiving road closure fees, which can usually cost anywhere in the region of £2,000. The city council will also organise for road closure signage and any traffic management cones to be located in and around the area.
Any resident who is considering hosting a street party just needs to meet some simple criteria:
- The event itself is organised and funded by the applicant
- The organiser must take out Public Liability Insurance
- Most of the residents in the area must be happy with the event taking place
- If they plan to sell alcohol they will need to apply for a Temporary Events Notice
Major roads or key bus routes cannot be closed, so please bear that in mind when submitting requests.
To express an interest in hosting a party, the online form found on the council’s street party page must be submitted. The deadline for submissions is midday Friday 6 May. Full information can be found at www.liverpool.gov.uk/streetparties.
There are also plans for online consultation activities which will give residents the opportunity to ask questions or raise any concerns around staging a street party with the relevant city council teams. More details will be announced soon.
There is a limited number of small grants available from the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund (Merseyside) which can be used to contribute to the purchase of party decorations. Organisers can find out more by contacting the Lord-Lieutenants Office (Lieutenant Colonel Sean McEvoy) on 0151 363 9528 or msl.clerk@lieutenancy.info.
Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Abdul Qadir, said:
“I have had a number of residents approach me and ask whether they can hold their own street gatherings so I’m delighted we can not only encourage people to have a party, but we can help alleviate some of the financial concerns by waiving the road closure charges.
“Community spirt has come to the fore during the pandemic and there were so many stories of people going above and beyond to help out their neighbours and keep people safe. Now, we want people to come together again, have fun and get to know one another as you should never underestimate the power of community spirit.”
Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Visitor Economy, Councillor Harry Doyle, said:
“Whether you want to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee or, after the challenges of the past couple of years, it feels like the right time to bring your community together – a street party is a great option!
“As a city we love an event, so we wanted people to have the option to stage their own activities right on their doorsteps. There is of course a major event taking place in the city centre with the brand new food and drink festival, but it’s a four day weekend so why not do both!
“I hope as many residents as possible take up the opportunity for their very own party and so we can have that festive feel-good factor right across Liverpool.”
Lord-Lieutenant of Merseyside, Mark Blundell, said:
“As Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant I am delighted to hear that so many communities across Merseyside are organising ‘street parties’ to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years of service to the Nation and the Commonwealth. Street parties have been very much a part of our culture to mark special occasions, and the weekend of 2 – 5 June will hopefully be packed with sunshine and will be a time to enjoy what is to be a truly international event. It is my intent to visit with the Lord Mayor as many events as possible over the Bank Holiday weekend, meet people and enjoy the community celebrations.
“I wish to thank Liverpool City Council for the generous gesture of waving the cost of road closures. This waiver will hopefully pave the way for communities to organise events that might otherwise not have been affordable.”
Other Queen’s Jubilee celebration events taking place in the city across the bank holiday weekend include the food and drink festival Taste Liverpool. Drink Bordeaux which will be taking over three areas of the city centre – Hope Street, Bold Street and Castle Street. For the latest information head to www.visitliverpool.com/tasteliverpool.
