Wirral Council supports communities and organisations who wish to organise their own local Remembrance Sunday service. The main Civic service is held at Birkenhead Town Hall and is attended by the mayor.
Overview
Remembrance Sunday provides local communities with the opportunity to reflect on the service and sacrifice of the many men and women who have served in His Majesty’s Armed Forces, as well as those who have supported them or lost loved ones because of conflict.
In most cases these will be pre-planned and outdoor gatherings which often take place around a memorial or other local monument.
Although these events may have taken place for many years, they must be managed and coordinated to ensure the safety of the people attending.
Merseyside Police can no longer manage traffic or close roads, as they have done in previous years.
This page outlines the responsibilities of event organisers and details the processes which will need to be followed for any Remembrance Sunday in the borough.
Types of events that require approval
These are the types of events that require an application:
- any event on council land
- any event on private land but includes use of the footway.
- any event on private land but includes use of the highway as part of the event. *
- any event where a parade takes place on the highway between two locations and then may have a gathering on the highway as part of the event. *
* Please note, this type of event requires a legal road closure order with contracted traffic management.
If an event is on private land and has no impact on the highway or footway we do not require an application.
Do I need to contact the council
You do not need to notify Wirral Council if:
- the service takes place entirely indoors, and
- there is no parade and no spectators will stand on the public highway or footway
You do need to contact the council if your service includes a parade on a public highway or spectators will stand on a public highway or footway. You must contact the Council if your event includes:
- a parade or procession
- use of the public highway or footway
- any requirement for a road closure
Road Closures and Police Support
Important change
Merseyside Police no longer provide support for road closures for community events such as Remembrance parades.
Where an event requires roads to be closed to maintain safety either for a parade or due to the numbers of those attending, the closure of these roads will need to be contracted out to a Traffic Management Company.
We recognise this is a significant change from previous years; we have a responsibility to maintain the safety of the public and ensure that events take place on the road without causing an unlawful obstruction of the highway in line with the Road Traffic Regulation Act.
This means:
- organisers are responsible for requesting road closures.
- organisers must submit the planned parade route.
- organisers are responsible for submitting the required applications to Wirral Council
Wirral Event Safety Advisory Group (WESAG)
The Wirral Event Safety Advisory Group (WESAG) is attended by Merseyside Police, Merseyside Fire and Rescue, NW ambulance, Coastguard, Community safety, Highways, Licensing and health and safety representatives.
The WESAG group provides professional advice to organisers to help ensure events are safe and well managed. If your event requires a road closure or takes place on a public highway you must complete a WESAG application form.
Access and complete the WESAG form
What you will need to provide
For applicable events, organisers will need to submit:
- a WESAG Application
- a risk assessment- specific to your event
- a road closure / traffic management plan
- a valid Public liability insurance certificate
Template risk assessments can be provided upon request.
Insurance
As an organised event, there will be a need to hold public liability insurance. The requirement of insurance is to help protect event organisers from any legal claims should there be an accident and helps protect organisers from being personally liable.
The expectation is that an event would need to hold one million pounds (£1m) of public liability insurance.
Please note that depending on the arrangements for the event this could be an existing insurance policy held by a parish council, church, or community group if they are planning the event.
Deadlines
Road closures are subject to statutory deadlines.
Organisers should:
- Start planning as early as possible
- Submit applications in good time
Late applications may not be approved.
Need help or advice?
If you need support with any of the following:
- Completing the application forms
- Understanding the requirements
- Planning your event
Please contact the Civic Office:
- email mayor@wirral.gov.uk
- Tel: 0151 691 8046