DENHOLME Children’s Gala is under threat due to Bradford Council red tape, claim organisers.

The volunteer committee said new health and safety rules would force them to enlist a specialist company to run the popular street procession.

They claim that employing such a company would mean extra costs of up to £900 for just half an hour’s work.

The gala committee this month launched a desperate appeal for funding to cover the potential bill and are approaching other Denholme community groups for help.

A recent post on the gala’s Facebook page highlighted the search for a security company with the necessary qualifications to close roads for the procession.

Denholme Gala Committee spokesman Kirsty Smith said the problem centred on recent changes to Bradford Council rules governing temporary road closures.

She said: “We now require a Traffic Management Company to steward the road closure which will incur additional costs of potentially between £450 and £900 per 30 minutes of stewarding.

“This is an additional cost that all event organisers will need to find before they even agreed to host a community event with a temporary road closure.

“For Denholme to find this additional cost – that has never been required – completely jeopardises future community events.

“This impacts on the feasibility of our annual village event. Community events aimed at the community, involving the community, will become a thing of the past!”

The gala committee said it had always taken public safety seriously, completing a thorough risk assessment and a traffic management plan with adequate stewards to manage the procession.

Bradford Council this week said it had always been a requirement that traffic management was needed when roads had to be closed for events.
A spokesman said “Members of the public have no legal powers to close roads or hold traffic, and would be putting themselves at risk of potential prosecution if they do so and an incident occurred.

“Previously the police may have provided officers to temporarily close roads or hold traffic either free of charge or paid for at the force’s discretion. However, West Yorkshire Police’s policy has changed and this is no longer the case.”
The council said it had not introduced any new charges this year, but might have to in the future due to budget cuts to cover the cost of staff, resources and legal orders.

District councillor Simon Cooke, whose Bingley Rural ward includes Denholme, said problems facing gala organisers had not been brought to his attention.

But he said it was worrying if volunteers believed the council were presenting them with unreasonable obstacles.

He said: “Galas had always been a feature of village life. They are very important events in the calendar of communities like Denholme, Wilsden and Harden.

“The right thing to do is to ask the council to clarify what’s expected regarding road closures. Are organisers being undermined by the council being jobsworths or asking for a lot of money?

“I understand the issues for the council and police, especially in Denholme where there’s a main road.”