Grantham Carnival Needs Help

I have had the priveledge of joining local Carnival organisers at their recent meetings. They are facing an increasing challege as local police and highways authorities thwart their efforts to take the carnival its usual route through the town centre. The biggest hurdle is the loss of policing to support the event. Instead, carnival organisers are being told that they must provide their own speicalist trained traffic managers who are expensive. At a recent meeting with police representatives they were advised the reason for this is a change in the law which means responsibility for managing traffic in such events no longer sits with the police.

However, I have done some research into the Road Traffic Act quoted and can find no supporting evidence for this position. It looks increasingly to be more an issue of funding.

I plan to investigate further. I have found evidence where other local authorities continue to support such events provided they are well organised, which Grantham Carnival is. Unless a solution is found the Carnival Parade, which is run only for the benefit of local people and the charities which rely on it as an occaision on which to raise funds, is theatened.