This year's Bridgwater Carnival is set to have no public toilets or safety barriers along the route after funding cuts by Somerset Council. The iconic event draws 150,000 visitors from all across the West Country to its annual parade and iconic squibbing ceremony in the town centre.
In the past, the Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival used a £16,000 grant from Sedgemoor District Council to fund portaloos and security barriers along the parade route. However, this grant has been withdrawn by Somerset Council (which took over from the district council in April 2023) as part of £35m budget cuts announced on Tuesday (February 20), as the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.
Carnival organisers have expressed their disappointment at the decision, pointing out that visitors can't rely on businesses along the carnival route for facilities. Chris Hocking, one of the carnival's non-executive directors, voiced his concerns in a formal question submitted before the full council meeting in Bridgwater on Tuesday (February 20).
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He said: "Many visitors to the carnival stay overnight, or longer, throughout the Somerset area boosting trade for the hospitality industry and retailers at a time of year when trade is at its lowest. Indeed, a survey conducted some 20 years ago by the former Somerset County Council informed that carnivals in the county increased the economy by £40m during the autumn carnival season."
He further added, "With such a massive increase in revenue for so many Somerset businesses, we were extremely disappointed to learn that Somerset Council intends to remove, in its entirety, the very small annual grant which we previously received from the former Sedgemoor District Council." The previous £16,000 fund provided by the council was used for hiring portaloos (£9,000) and putting up barriers along the carnival route (£7,000).
The procession starts on A39 Bath Road near the junction with Parkway, carries on down the A38 Broadway, takes a turn onto St. Mary Street, rounds Cornhill and ends on Mount Street near the Northgate Yard complex. He revealed that without the portaloos, carnival-goers would have to depend on local businesses to provide toilets.
He said: "Without the additional portaloos which we spread across various locations along the parade route, the general public would be obliged to seek the goodwill of public house landlords and/or restaurants for use of their facilities. This is not always forthcoming, and therefore the portaloos play an important and essential role in the comfort of the vast crowd whilst ensuring that the environment is not damaged in any manner."
"Likewise, barriers play an important role in maintaining safety and comfort for our many visitors. With crowds standing ten or 12 deep in places to view the parade, the barriers maintain a safe distance between them and the massive spectacular carnival carts taking part in the parade."
"Barriers assist our marshals in delivering a very safe environment for the benefit of the public and participants." In addition to attracting high numbers of visitors in person, the carnival procession is live-streamed to an average of 50,000 people around the world every year.
Mr Hocking said that removing the toilets and barriers risked significant reputational damage to one of Somerset's main tourist attractions. He said: "Somerset is a beautiful county and we are delighted that, during our carnival season, so many thousands of people are able to see for themselves what a wonderful region this is to visit, work and live."
"It would be a great disappointment if visitors were given the impression that the local authority cared little for the safety and comfort of the community through their lack of funding for such essential equipment. The grant we are seeking is extremely small within the context of the council's annual budget - yet the rewards would be high in terms of tourism and community engagement."
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, who looks after communities, housing, and culture, mentioned that the council had to make tough choices to pass a balanced budget and avoid going effectively bankrupt. She explained: "It is very disappointing that we are having to consider savings such as these, and especially where there has been such a long history of council support."
"We are, however, required to consider any and all options that help the council meet its statutory obligations for the most vulnerable in our communities." Bridgwater Town Council has agreed to take care of the carnival clean-up and look after the public toilets in Blake Gardens as part of its yearly budget, which was approved in early-February.
A rundown build site on Carnival Way that's part of Bridgwater's town deal has been slated for a £4.25m facelift, which is protected by Somerset Council's approved building budget. The bulk of the funds (£3m) will come directly from the town deal, helping transform the site used by 10 carnival clubs into safety-compliant, modern industrial units. The construction project is being cleverly planned to avoid impacting the carnival itself and is set to kick off after the November 2024 event.
During a community meeting in October 2023, Mr Hocking gave his view: "Ten of our clubs currently build on this site, and the building are currently very much in a derelict state. This project will enable us to redevelop the site and put up new industrial units so that carnival clubs can build in a much safer and more comfortable environment, allowing them to attract new members."
