Royal street party fever to grips nation once more

LGA media release 20 January 2012

Royal street party fever looks set to sweep the nation again this summer as revellers start planning their Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Based on the current groundswell of public interest, it's expected the number of street parties held over the June weekend, which also includes the annual Big Lunch, will surpass last year's total for the Royal Wedding.

Despite still being five months off, councils are already being inundated with inquiries from residents wanting to mark the Jubilee, and are pulling out the stops to make organising events as straightforward as possible. Many are also launching initiatives to support their communities such as waiving road closures fees, offering cash grants and giving out party packs.

Last year councils across England and Wales received about 5,500 road closure applications for Royal Wedding street parties. Countless other celebrations also took place in gardens, on pavements, in pubs, parks and village greens, and many councils laid on their own parties for residents.

Councillor Chris White, Chair of the Local Government Association's Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said:

"Councils are already receiving hundreds of inquiries from residents wanting to hold Jubilee street parties. There was a lot of interest last year for the Royal Wedding but it wasn't until much nearer the event. It really seems as if Britain's street party tradition has been well and truly resurrected and people are already planning to dust down their fold-out tables and unpack the bunting.

"Bringing communities together is something councils see as one of their key roles and, as they did for the Royal Wedding, they're pulling out all the stops to make organising street parties as easy as possible. Straightforward guidance is readily available from council offices and online, along with simple application forms. Many councils have waived road closure and insurance fees where possible, and others are giving out grants to support communities in marking the special occasion.

"It's fantastic that Jubilee weekend looks set to be a great few days with people everywhere coming together to enjoy a good old knees-up. There will of course be cases where a genuine concern means a proposed celebration may not be able to go ahead, but through common sense and talking to each other councils and residents should be able to find amicable solutions to make a street party happen."

The LGA has been working with councils and their communities to find any bureaucratic sticking points which may still exist in event-organising and ways of overcoming them. In March it's launching an online forum where councils can share experiences and ideas and community groups can raise any issues they've come across locally. A DirectGov website has also been launched this year where residents can enter their postcode and be directed straight to their local council's website to find advice on holding a street party in their neighbourhood.

Case studies

Newham Council has launched a campaign called 'Let's get the party started' which encourages people to organise their own events in 2012. So far, more than 100 residents have registered their ideas. The campaign includes grants of between £250-500 for residents to put towards organising an event, an events toolkit booklet that details how organise an event, practical advice on promoting an event with a full suite of marketing products available online to download, practical help closing roads, support from the council's volunteers and free use of a council venue.

Street parties will be free in Havering over the Jubilee weekend and the council has so far received 18 applications.

East Dorset Council set up a £30,000 grant fund to be awarded to local groups celebrating either the Jubilee or the Olympics. Grants range from £100 and £1,500 and it received 70 applications. It also held a seminar explaining to community groups how to apply for the grants, how to run a street party and how to apply for road closures. About 150 people attended.

Basildon Council is planning a scheme were residents and community groups can apply for a free 'party in a box' including party hats, flags, balloons, bunting, posters, a disposable camera and suggestions for games on the day.

Newark and Sherwood District Council has a £20,000 fund to provide financial support towards events and festivals over the Jubilee weekend. The scheme aims to assist town councils, parish councils, community groups and voluntary organisations and the top grant is £500.

Christchurch Council is making £15,000 worth of grants available to help people celebrate the Jubilee or the Olympics this year. It also held a seminar where community groups were given a presentation on how to apply for the grants, how to run a street party and how to apply for road closures.

Middlesbrough Council has already received two applications to hold Jubilee street parties in the town. It has also issued advice about organising parties of different sizes.

Norfolk County Council is planning a £30,000 fund which community groups can bid for cash from to cover local costs of putting on celebration events to mark the Jubilee, Olympics, Paralympics, and the Tour of Britain cycle race coming to Norfolk.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is arranging one blanket insurance that should cover activities at most events on public land, such as street parties, so organisers don't have to arrange their own. It's also running a series of workshops to talk organisers and community groups through all the things they need to consider when organising a street party.

Twenty-six royal wedding street parties were held in Westminster last year and the council is already receiving applications for Jubilee celebrations. Its special events team are working hard to cut as much red tape as possible from the application process and are on-hand to advise people on a range of issues including if licences are needed and how best to inform and involve the wider community.

Buckinghamshire residents have been invited to light beacons to celebrate the Jubilee, and the county council is simplifying the process of organising street parties and waiving the cost of road closures. Residents can use an online toolkit to organise events and an online calendar to register them.

Neighbourhoods throughout Waltham Forest will receive an extra £5,000 from their council to spend on street parties to help celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee or Olympic Games. The council is also helping organise road closures and insurance, where necessary.

Kent County Council is waiving charges for street parties on quiet residential roads and cul-de-sacs and providing revellers with road closure signs. It's also put together a simple on-line form for applicants.

Cambridgeshire County Council has made its road closure application process easier for anyone who wants to get their community together for a street party. For smaller community events in cul-de-sacs, or residential roads without significant through traffic, it is waiving fees.

To make the process of organising a street party as easy as possible, Central Bedfordshire Council has made a traffic order to cover the whole district meaning that charges usually paid by organisers will instead be covered by the council.

Tandridge Council has so far received three road closure applications for the Jubilee and has re-issued simple advice.

Lewisham Council is looking to organise a session to advise budding street party organisers about holding an event and how to get the best out of it.

Author: LGA Media Office
Contact: LGA Media Office, Telephone: 020 7664 3333

Notes for editors

The official Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations take place from Saturday June 2 to Tuesday June 5. The annual Big Lunch is being held on the Sunday.

Please see link below for general guidance and a Q&A on street parties, as well as a link to the DirectGov site

Your guide to organising a street party (on the Communities and Local Government site)