The new rules will come into force following a successful trial in the borough
Thousands gathered to watch the bonfire in Birkenhead’s Ilchester Park last year(Image: Liverpool Echo)
New rules have been put in place to manage community bonfires going forward in Wirral following a successful trial. However concerns were raised after flames could be seen across the Mersey last year.
Wirral Council approved the new policy due to a previous absence of appropriate health and safety measures at Bonfire Night events. It follows a successful trial last year that saw anti-social behaviour drop by nearly a quarter.
This trial was introduced because unregulated bonfires were getting bigger and bigger raising significant concerns around public safety, anti-social behaviour and environmental impact. Council officers pro-actively worked with community groups in certain areas to try and put control measures in place to make things safer, something no other council in Merseyside has done so far.
The new policy will now cover the whole of Wirral making clear the council’s expectations for events to maintain public safety. It will also mean police and the fire service are involved, allowing authorities to be “in a stronger position to take appropriate action against those organisers that fail to comply with the policy.”
While the council could try and crackdown on illegal bonfires, officers said this approach would not be possible and would cost considerable resources. This new approach would allow events to take place in a safer manner but also improve relationships in different communities with the council, police, and fire service.
Last year across Merseyside, the number of deliberate fires increased on Bonfire Night everywhere except Knowsley and Wirral, with Wirral seeing the largest drop. There were also no reports of fireworks or incidents involving violence towards firefighters in Wirral too.
Merseyside Police also reported a 23% reduction in anti-social behaviour. Following the events, there were community clean ups to clear the areas of any rubbish.
Despite the trial’s success, officers said there were still concerns about the size of the bonfires going forward. Mark Camborne, the council’s lead office for health and safety management, said the scale of some fires was not something they wanted to see but they didn’t see it as a reason to not try the same approach.
He said the policy was much needed, adding: “The status quo around [bonfires] has carried on for far too long and we are only by luck able to sit here and say that nobody has been killed or seriously injured albeit there have been a number of injuries.”
However going forward, he said they would make sure bonfires were not on that scale and would begin working with community groups earlier to make sure bonfires were far safer. He said community groups had taken an incredibly brave step to take on the responsibility of managing the fires, adding: “They were self policing far more rigorously than we would have done or had the resources to do because they wanted to demonstrate that they wanted to run this.”
A huge crowd gathers to watch the bonfire on the Woodchurch Estate, Wirral last year(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Superintendent Matthew Moscrop from Merseyside Police also said the reduction in anti-social behaviour was a tremendous success, adding: “There were clear messages from the people managing the bonfires about what was tolerated and what wasn’t.” Councillors heard electric equipment, furniture, and white goods had been dumped on the bonfires in previous years.
He said: “These are community events however they have been carried out over the years and they are legitimate in the eyes of the community,” adding: “We were very happy with how it went and very supportive of continuing this. I understand there are challenges over the size of the bonfires and we do not want to get into a competitive scenario where people are looking for the biggest bonfire.”
He said the new approach offered “an opportunity for authorities to engage with communities on something that is seen as more like their terms,” adding the benefits of this were huge.
The size of the bonfires was a common concern of councillors though praise was also given for the focus on community safety. Cllr Mike Redfern asked what the council would actually do going forward to tackle this, adding: “Obviously being visible across the Mersey, we wouldn’t want to see that happen again.”
Officers said they would work with communities to set limits on size if the fire was deemed to be unsafe. Other concerns included issues around smoke, the impact on those with respiratory or heart conditions and wildlife, as well as the potential costs if more people wanted bonfires.
The policy passed with support from every party except the Greens who abstained. During the course of the meeting, councillors also discussed the budget including staffing overspends in library, cultural, and leisure services.
Though not on the agenda, the prospect of cuts to the council’s library service dominated the beginning of the meeting. Two petitions were presented to the council on behalf of Greasby and Rock Ferry libraries which face possible closure.
Greasby councillor Graeme McManus presented a statement by the library’s friends group while his fellow councillor Mark Skillicorn argued the centre “needs to be a success story” urging the committee to “please not give up on us” presenting a petition of over 700. However it was revealed only 103 people have voiced their opinion about Greasby library so far in the council’s ongoing consultation.
Seacombe councillor Paul Stuart also spoke defending Seacombe’s partnership library, arguing this was a way to successfully modernise the service for the 20th centre. He said: “Much of the footfall goes unrecorded. What we do know and what we see every day is the library is a lifeline,” adding: “Change will have to happen, change doesn’t need to be negative. It can be positive.”
A petition was also presented by Tony Norbury, a Green Party campaigner arguing it is “the heart of the Rock Ferry community” urging councillors to take it off the agenda. While the petition was accepted by the committee, Labour councillor Ann Ainsworth raised concerns about misinformation as the petition stated a decision had already been made about Rock Ferry library which is not the case.
1,300 people had signed the Green Party’s petition. However only 20 people have filled in the council’s consultation.