Royal Wedding Parties and Public Liability
Some Councils Still Demanding Insurance Despite the Prime Minister’s Demands to Cut the Red Tape
It’s hard to escape talk of the Royal Wedding this month and as the big day gets nearer there have been plenty of reports about street parties being organised across the country. Even the Prime Minister David Cameron added his own thoughts on the celebrations recently, criticising local councils for using red tape to stand in the way of members of the public organising street parties. But not even the harsh words of Mr Cameron have stopped some councils from demanding people pay millions in public liability insurance.
A report in today’s Daily Mail highlights the issue, with a woman in Rochester told she would have to abide by an array of regulations if she wished to throw a party – including taking out millions in insurance. It is something that David Cameron is unlikely to be happy about that, particularly as he has been eager for people to ignore the bureaucratic ways of some councils and push on anyway.
Public liability insurance is a form of insurance that business must take out in case a member of the public is injured whilst on their premises. If a business is likely to see a member of the public – someone that is not an employee – enter their property then they must have public liability insurance. If a member of the public was to be injured at one of the street parties, for example, then someone is going to be liable – in this case the organisers of the party.
It shows that whilst the Prime Minister is attempting to get parties going across the country and encouraging people to overcome the hurdles that they might face, some councils are not taking on the advice.
Medway Council, who was contacted by the woman in Rochester as outlined in the Daily Mail, has reportedly said that all costs of public liability insurance will be reimbursed by the council and that it has already approved a wealth of applications.
However, the issues may extend further than insurance. A report in today’s Telegraph paints a picture of a north-south divide on the issue, with cities in the north of England failing to match those in the south.
