Town hall steps in to save Fylde gala calendar

A recommendation will be sent Fylde Council’s cabinet to offer help for South Fylde’s popular Club Days should their future survival come under threat.

The proposal was made by the authority’s community focus scrutiny committee after Lancashire Police announced it would no longer marshal the parades which form part of the festivities.

The council will now spend £6,000 to train volunteer organisers to marshal the parades.

Coun Liz Oades told the committee: “(Club Days) are a tradition in this part of the country and to lose them would be a very great loss, I think we need to pull all the stops out.”

A report presented to the committee stated Club Day organisers were told by Lancashire Police that it would no longer be able to offer its services due to financial pressures.

Coun Nigel Goodrich said: “My disappointment is the fact the police are pulling out, but that’s beyond our remit.”

Addressing the committee at St Annes Town Hall chairman Coun Kiran Mulholland said: “I wonder if members would consider a recommendation which is asking the cabinet to make a decision to in principle support Club Days as an when, and if necessary.

“We’d like to make it a policy that the borough is interested and is concerned.

“Simply if there’s a question mark over one taking place for reasons we could possibly help with a declaration in principle that we’re interested.

Coun Oades added: “We have one in every town and village, and they’re quite historical. We don’t want to see them disappear for the sake of a little bit of funding.”

The recommendation was accepted by the committee.

Where has the police help gone?

Club Day or gala type events take place in St Annes, Lytham, Kirkham and Wesham, Freckleton, Weeton, Newton, Elswick, Wrea Green and Staining.

Lancashire Police’s decision comes after guidelines were issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers that the police should not undertake traffic management for events which aren’t of national importance or which take place on dual carriageways.

The force has agreed to continue to marshal Freckleton’s parade, which crosses a dual carriageway.

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