Your Guide To Organising A Street Party Or Fete

your guide to organising a street party or fete =============================================== foreword by eric pickles secretary

Your guide to organising a street party or fete
===============================================
Foreword by Eric Pickles
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Street parties and fetes are a traditional part of community life;
they are a simple way for us to get to know our neighbours and meet
members of our community. We want to make it easier for you to hold
these sorts of local events, without having to plough through
mountains of forms and red tape. So we have produced this simple step
by step guide to how to hold a community event in your local area. It
includes one simple form for you to use to let your local authority
know about your plans, so you can get on with the real work of
organising a fun event.
G
ood luck.
What sort of events does this apply to?
This is about the sort of street parties and fetes that groups of
residents get together to arrange for their neighbours. The main
differences between a small street party and fetes and larger public
events are listed below:
Street parties and fetes: Larger public events:
For residents/neighbours only Anyone can attend
Publicity only to residents External publicity (such as in newspapers)
No licences normally necessary if Licence usually needed
music incidental and no selling is involved Insurance needed
No formal risk assessment needed Risk assessment common
Self-organised Professional/skilled organisers
Organising small, private street parties and fetes is very simple and
generally does not include activities that need a licence, such as
selling alcohol or providing certain types of entertainment. If you
want to have a pay bar or intend to provide entertainment to the wider
public, or charge to raise money for your event, you will need a
Temporary Event Notice which is a type of temporary licence and costs
£21. Similarly, larger public events attracting more people will
require a different process. If you need a Temporary Events Notice or
would like to hold a larger public event, please contact your council
for further information and advice.
It’s that simple
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If you would like to hold a street party or fete, you can use the form
below to let your council know about your plans.
The number one tip for holding a party is to plan early, think about
what you want to achieve and get in touch with your council at least
4-6 weeks in advance. A good first point of contact will be your
council’s events or communities team.
More helpful tips, advice and support for organising a successful
event can be found on the Streets Alive website www.streetparty.org.uk
and The Big Lunch website www.thebiglunch.com. Do check them out,
they’re great.
Celebrating your community
==================================
Application form for a street party or a small community event
Road closure for residential or neighbourhood street parties
Name of person:
Organisation (if applicable):
Contact address (incl. postcode):
Telephone number (daytime):
Telephone number (evening):
Email address:
Name of road(s) to be closed:
Date and time of road closure
If you plan to close only a section of the road(s), where will the
closure begin and end?
From:
To:
Give a brief list of properties affected. This means any property,
residential or commercial, which is located on or accessed only by the
road(s) you wish to close – e.g. Cedar Close numbers 1-20 and numbers
21-98
Are any of the roads to be closed used by through traffic?
YES/NO?
If yes, you will need to send a traffic plan showing the exact extent
of the closure and an alternative route for traffic.
Are you planning on closing a road that is part of a bus route?
YES/NO?
If yes, you will need to consult the bus company and attach a copy of
their response.
Will access for emergency vehicles (if required) be readily
available at all times?
YES/NO?
If no, you will need to discuss this with your council and emergency
services. In the interest of safety we highly recommend that roads are
accessible for all emergency vehicles.
How will people know the road has been closed off - have you thought
about barriers/diversion signs needed?
If yes, can you say what you will be doing?
If no, you can speak to your council or Streets Alive (www.streetparty.org.uk)
who will be able to help you with street signs.
Have most residents agreed to this neighbourhood/community event?
YES/NO?
The council will want to ensure most people are happy with this event,
so if there are any objections you should let them know. They may be
able to help you resolve any objections. It is worth remembering that
not everyone will be able to participate so let everyone know what
time the party will start and end (you may want to finish by 9pm to
minimise noise).
If you are planning a road closure you will also need to consult
businesses in the wider area that may be affected. Have you already
consulted about the road closure?
YES/NO?
If yes, please attach a copy of your consultation invitation/notice
and confirm the date it was sent:
What happens next?
Send your form to your local council (in a two-tier authority this
will be the borough or district council).
The council will look at what you are proposing, will process your
application for road closure and will let you know if there is
anything else you need to consider.
We hope this guidance has made things easier for you. Good luck with
your event.
FAQS and checklist
Q. Do we need insurance cover?
A. Most local authorities do not ask for public liability insurance
cover for a small residential street party. But where you or your
council think insurance would be a good idea you might find it helpful
to go on Streets Alive (www.streetparty.org.uk) and The Big Lunch
website (www.thebiglunch.com) 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.
Q. Do I need to do a risk assessment?
A. Most local authorities do 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 barbeque
etc.
Q. We're serving alcoholic drinks - do we need an alcohol licence?
A. 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 did want to sell alcohol, you will need to contact your council
for a Temporary Events Notice form. This form costs £21.
Q. We're playing music - do we need an entertainment licence?
A. 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.
Q. Do we need a permit to serve food?
A. 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 11pm). 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.
Q. We’re having a tombola/raffle - do we need permission?
A. 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
speak to your council 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.
Q. Do we need to clean up afterwards?
A. 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.