New events and festivals policy for Weymouth and Portland to be introduced

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s management committee has unanimously agreed to introduce a new five-year events and festivals policy which sets out a range of criteria organisers must meet.

The policy, which will be brought in as of April 1 this year, applies to everything from small to major events and festivals and is aimed at providing a more consistent framework.

As part of the new policy, organisers will have to pay for the use of car parks depending on the time of year and its location.

Until now, the council has been able to hand out up to 20 free parking permits for event organisers and some discounted parking permits for event participants. These will be scrapped under the new policy.

A report states: “The charges may have an impact on the future viability of some events, but we are not in a position to subsidise commercial ventures.

“The cost is unlikely to negatively affect the viability of events if the car park is out of town, not normally at capacity and out of peak summer season.”

The fee will be subject to negotiation by the Dorset Councils Partnership parking services manager.

A draft policy was first considered by the policy development committee in April 2017, followed by a consultation with event organisers and relevant bodies such as Dorset Councils Partnership services, Dorset County Council and the Weymouth and Portland Safety Advisory Group.

The policy wording states: “Following some high profile and well documented traffic and parking problems during some events, this policy is intended to assist event organisers in preparing their event management plan.

“There is a need for a clear policy to assist event organisers in planning, organising and hosting their events in the borough.”

WPBC has said that events and festivals that are already booked prior to April 1 and take place before December 31 this year will not be subject to the new policy.