A LEGAL change to protect community event organisers from over-zealous council officers seeking to stop activities on health and safety grounds has been backed by Keighley's MP.
Local government minister Kris Hopkins described the Local Government (Review of Decisions) Bill as a common sense and proportionate measure.
If it is enacted, the new law would require any local authority official who believes that a function or activity should not proceed for reasons of health and safety to put his reasons in writing and justify why they are halting the event.
Mr Hopkins said: “It is important to recognise that the Bill is not about weakening the necessary and important health and safety arrangements that exist to protect employees and public health or the safety regime in place nationally.
“It is about a common sense approach to supporting volunteers and organisations that want to put on a reasonable event, with a clear appeals process and an opportunity to have a dialogue with the ombudsman as a consequence of any failure in that process."
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