Street party bureaucracy swept aside   From today, local people who want to close a road for a street party or summer fete will only have to complete one simple form.
 
The working group established that for most small organised street parties there is no need to  advertise road closures or carry out consultations. Neither are specific signs or other traffic management equipment necessary.  Instead councils should adopt a common sense approach to administrating the events.
 
Council Leader Edward Lister said: 
"Traditional street parties are a terrific way for neighbours to have fun and get to know each other better. Earlier this year we made some big changes which made it much easier for our residents to get these up and running and now we’ve gone one step further by reducing the paperwork down to a single form.
 
“From our own experience we know the new streamlined, user-friendly application process will be popular with residents who simply want to get on with the job of organising their own fun event."
 
Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said: 
“Fetes, street parties and fairs should be fun, and everyone’s energy needs to go into the fun part – not trawling through endless reams of guidance and dusty rules.  I want to banish the myths around laws preventing people from putting on events.
 
“So there is still time for you to get together with your neighbours this summer. Your council may be able to help you close a road for a proper street party. If not, you can hold something in a garden or even the park. It’s your community, so celebrate it.”
 
The new form and guidance notes are being sent to councils across the country to encourage more local authorities to adopt a helpful, positive approach.
 

September 9, 2010