Remembrance day parade "under threat"

11:23am Friday 5th September 2008

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REMEMBRANCE Day organisers warn High Wycombe’s historic annual parade is under threat after they were landed with a £1,900 bill for safety barriers.

They say the yearly ceremony to honour war heroes is becoming harder to finance because of soaring health and safety costs – and now may have to be axed.

Shocked councillors expressed outrage this week after learning the parade could be lost to the town.

“To suggest that we don’t march, that we don’t allow a parade in recognition of what’s happened is appalling,” former mayor Tony Green told colleagues.

“We have got to continue with that tradition and I think it’s appalling that these obstacles are being put in our way.”

Royal British Legion President Monty Seymour, 94 said the loss of the remembrance parade would hit the town hard, especially since residents donated so generously to the Poppy Appeal.

The November parade involves former servicemen marching through the town to All Saints Church.

But last year High Wycombe’s Charter Trustees – which organises the annual ceremony on behalf of the Legion – were hit with a huge bill for barriers.

The bill rocketed to £1,900. Fees for similar civic events normally cost in the hundreds.

In addition, there is a new – so far unspecified – cost for properly-vetted marshals to police the event. Now the trustees fear they will not have the cash to meet these combined health and safety bills.

Monty, a great-grandfather-of-seven who signed up to the RAF in the Second World War, said: “They should be only too pleased to pay the two or three thousand pounds from their own pockets in appreciation of the people who the parade is all about.”

John Clark, who is clerk for the trustees, said: “If the prices keep going up, and I’m sure they will do, I think then it could put the parade at risk.

“Answers will need to be found on how to manage the event or the event will have to change.” He added: “If we don’t have sufficient funds, if the bills cannot be modified to enable the event and the funds can’t be found, it would be immoral to run the parade knowing we would create a debt that can't be paid.”

The wreath-laying ceremony would not be affected, he said. Trustees warned that cancelling the event would be “an absolute travesty”.

Charter Trustee Cllr Glynn Galbraith said: “The citizens of Wycombe would be outraged if we had to stop paying our respects in this way.”

Cllr Alan Hill added: “It’s an utter disgrace when you consider how many people turn up in this town.

“They’re going to blame us for it, we’re going to take the blame for it if it doesn't happen.”

The trustees, who are all district councillors, get £45,000 from council tax each year – but Mr Clark said the trustees’ average £2 share of each council tax bill could go up.

Buckinghamshire County Council, which provides the barriers, said it had “sympathy” with their plight – but had “limited funds”.

The council has so far not provided a reason for the sudden increase in costs. Mr Clark said that previously, the trustees were not charged.

County council spokesman Viv Saunders said: “Our contractors provide a certain amount of barriers for remembrance day parades throughout the county.

“Because the Wycombe one is such a big event they don’t have a sufficient number and they have to hire in other barriers.”

She said the council spends £22,000 a year on parades and it tried to keep bills for organisers as manageable and cheap as possible.