Public Processions policy

 

GUIDELINES FOR THE COUNCIL

The Council’s policy aims to make clear to organisers, participants and members of the public, those issues which it considers important when dealing with the notification of a procession.   This represents a general approach; each procession will be assessed on its own merits and according to circumstances.

 

Responsibility for a procession and its participants lies first and foremost with the procession organiser who must ensure a pre-planned, well-organised and peaceful event that has as little negative impact as possible on local residents and communities.  The Police, too, have a critical role in upholding the law in and around processions and demonstrations.

 

In considering notifications of processions, the Council will take into account the volume, timing and route of the proposed procession and any possibility of public disorder.

Number of processions

 

In terms of the volume of processions, the Council will consider the number of processions that have taken place within the area affected by the proposed procession within the last year and, in the light of this, the potential for the procession to cause excessive disruption to residents and businesses in the area and to motorists, pedestrians and public transport users along its proposed route.  The greater the number of processions, the greater the likelihood of some restrictions.

 

Timing of processions

 

In terms of the timing of processions, the Council will presume that  processions will take place between 7.30am and 9.00pm and that no music will be played before 9.00am or later than 6.00pm, unless good reasons are presented as to why these conditions should not apply.  In terms of the playing of music, further restrictions may be required after considering the type of premises on the proposed route e.g. residential developments, places of worship, football grounds and public houses.

 

Procession routes

 

In terms of procession routes, the Council will consider:

 

§     the impact of the route on residents, businesses and transport users and seek to balance the desire of the procession organisers for a particular route with the impact on other people affected by that route.  The presumption is that processions will avoid residential areas and should, where practical, keep to main arterial routes;

 

§         before seeking to alter proposed routes to limit disruption in local areas, organisers’ proposals for stewarding and other arrangements that maximise opportunities for the Police to ensure that traffic and pedestrian movement is disrupted as little as possible.

 

Public Disorder

 

In terms of likely threats to public disorder, the Council will consider:

 

§          Police advice regarding public safety or potential public disorder in relation to any proposed procession, as well as Police reports on the extent to which previous processions have involved anti-social behaviour on the part of participants or followers;

 

§          representations from residents and businesses whose activities are likely to be affected by the proposed procession regarding the expectation of disruption, public disorder and anti-social behaviour;

 

§          whether, having assessed these reports, it should make alterations to the route; ask for stewarding arrangements to be strengthened; or seek to prevent a procession to ensure that anti-social behaviour is not promoted.

 

The Council will consider the impact of a procession in its totality and the likelihood of any restriction will be greater where the procession or its followers have previously caused public disorder or damage to property, been involved in anti-social behaviour or failed to comply with Police instructions on the day.