The future of a £5,000 Armed Forces Day parade in Bishop’s Stortford remains in the balance.
The town council has ruled out organising a road closure for the march on Saturday, June 29, this year as its events team tackles a full calendar of events including celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day on June 6.
Further summer dates include the carnival parade and fun day on Saturday, June 15, a round-the-town cycling event on Saturday, July 13 and the official opening of Castle Park on July 14. There will also be two Live at the Bandstand events in July and August.
Chief executive Huw Jones told councillors it was “not realistic” to take on responsibility for Armed Forces Day too.
Until 2019, the parade in the town centre was organised by the Royal British Legion (RBL).
The event did not take place during the Covid-19 pandemic and in 2022, the council was asked to take charge after RBL headquarters told branches that they could no longer accept the liability associated with a road closure.
The council declined because it was not clear how the parade could be properly insured and since then a group of veterans has been lobbying for the authority to take responsibility so the march can resume.
John Robinson, president of Bishop’s Stortford's RBL since 2014, pressed the case to members of the environment and public amenities committee in February and vice-president Kathy Stanes, former Poppy Appeal organiser Denise Hudson and secretary Terrie Archer were at the latest town council meeting to repeat their plea for a parade.
They made it clear that the veterans felt only a march, joined by cadets and serving military personnel, was appropriate to mark Armed Forces Day.
The town council has previously offered to provide Sworder’s Field free of charge to the legion so it can organise an event there - without the need for a £2,000 road closure order and associated security and support, which brings the total bill to around £5,000.
Cllr John Wyllie repeated that offer for this summer and said the legion could also apply for a Brazier Trust grant to cover other costs.
His suggestion was accepted as an amendment to Cllr Mione Goldspink’s motion, which confirmed the council could not organise the event this summer but would defer a decision on future years for further discussion.
She said: “There are many other issues and we need time to consider the various options.”
The mayor, Cllr Richard Townsend, and Cllr Chris Wilson pointed out that other groups - including the town’s churches and StortPride - might also wish to have parades or marches supported by the council. The authority already supports events on Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday each November, including a march.
