If you're thinking of holding a street party in
West Lancashire, we've put together the following simple step by
step guide to organising your event.
Street parties are a great way of getting to know your
neighbours and sharing in a national celebration on your doorstep.
Ideally your street party should be free and open to everyone who
lives on your street.
What type of events does this apply to?
This guide applies to street parties and fetes that groups of
residents get together to arrange for their neighbours. The main
differences between a small party and fetes and larger public
events are listed below:
| Street parties/fetes |
Larger public events |
| For residents/neighbours only |
Anyone can attend |
| Publicity only to residents |
External publicity e.g. newspapers |
|
No licences normally needed if music
incidental and no selling is involved
|
Licence and insurance usually needed |
| No formal risk assessment needed |
Risk assessment common |
| Self organised |
Professional or skilled organisers |
Is there a deadline for applying to hold a street party?
The Council should be given as much notice as possible prior to
the event and would normally request a minimum of 8 weeks notice.
The number one tip for holding a party is to plan early, think
about what you want to achieve and get in touch with us as
soon as possible.
Do we need insurance cover?
We strongly recommend that Public Liability Insurance for small
residential street parties or community events is obtained. This is
because you are responsible for anything that might go wrong.
Insurance protects you as the organiser for unforeseen
incidents.
You will find it helpful to go onto the Streets Alive website (external
link) and The Big Lunch website (external
link) for further advice. Quotes for insurance start from as
little as £50. The costs can always be split between residents, or
you could hold a raffle or ask for donations to cover the costs.
Insurance is not mandatory and will not affect the outcome of your
application and the event taking place. It is however there to
protect you and the people attending the event.
Do we need to do a risk assessment?
The council does not ask for a risk plan for small street
parties, but you may wish to think about how you can minimise
things going wrong and have a back up plan, for example:
- What would you do if there was bad weather?
- Can you use plastic plates and cups rather than glass?
- Have you made sure an adult is in charge of the barbecue etc
and there are no trailing cables?
- For inflatable equipment, like bouncy castles, we would require
that these are not placed on the highway and instead placed within
the garden of a property.
- Exclusions also exist for other more risky activities such as
fireworks which will not be allowed to be set off on the
highway.
We're serving alcoholic drinks - do we need an alcohol
licence?
No, licences are only required if alcohol is sold. At a private
party, sharing drinks with your neighbours does not require a
licence.
If you do want to sell alcohol, you will need to submit
a Temporary Events Notice (TEN) form. This fee for
a TEN is £21.00 and must be applied for a clear 10 working days in
advance of the proposed date for the street party.
We're playing music - do we need an entertainment licence?
No, if your street party is a private party for residents and
the music is not advertised in advance to attract people, and
you’re not making money then there is no need for a licence for
your music, whether it’s live or recorded.
Do we need a permit to serve food?
No, as a private party, you do not need a licence under the
Licensing Act 2003 to sell food (unless you wanted to only sell hot
food and drink after 11.00pm). Remember you can always ask your
neighbours to bake a cake, make a sandwich or bring food to share
with one another. This is also a good way to bring different groups
of people together.
We’re having a tombola/raffle - do we need permission?
Probably not. If the tombola/raffle tickets are sold on the day
and the prizes are not worth more than £500 in total then it will
be exempt from gambling regulations (however, if tickets are sold
in advance of the event, you will need a lottery registration but
do contact the council's Licensing Service
first).
Any proceeds from the tombola/raffle must go to a good cause
such as charity or even covering the cost of your party.
Alternatively, if you did want to raise some money for your local
church or charity, you can always ask people for donations.
Do we need to clean up afterwards?
Yes, you
will need to clean up after your street party. It’s your street,
your party, so keep your local area clean and tidy. Let people know
in advance what time the party will finish and have a section set
aside for bin bags and recycling.
You can visit our recycling section to find out what can be
recycled and where your nearest household
waste recycling centres and recycling banks are.
Do you have any further advice or guidance available?
Yes, you can visit Streets Alive (external
link) a useful resource for advice and information on all
aspects of planning a street party. For fun ideas, recipes and
general advice you can visit The Big Lunch (external link)
How do we apply?
If you would like to hold a street party or fete, complete the
event application form below and return it to us to
let us know about your plans.
Send the completed form to: West Lancashire Borough
Council, Technical Services Section, 52 Derby Street, Ormskirk,
Lancashire L39 2DF.
Alternatively you can email your completed form
to steven.wilson@westlancs.gov.uk
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