Neath Port Talbot Council to Take Control of Annual Remembrance Day Parades

Neath Port Talbot Council have agreed to step up and take control of the annual Remembrance day parades that take place in the towns of Neath and Port Talbot, following a monthly meeting of cabinet.
At the meeting, council bosses discussed how the authority would now act as an “Event Organiser” for the annual Remembrance Parades held in Neath and Port Talbot on Remembrance Sunday, as well as providing a budget allocation to support the events.
It came after the Remembrance day event in Port Talbot in 2022, was said to have been held in the Talbot Memorial Park without a parade, as changes in policy meant organisers at the the Port Talbot branch of the Royal British Legion were unable to oversee road closures without the help of the council.
Similarly in Neath, where the parades have been organised by the Neath branch of the Royal British Legion until 2019, along with support from St David’s Church, the change in policy would have also ruled out any future street parades there unless the council stepped in.
The report read: “In Port Talbot and Neath there has been a long history of parades being part of Remembrance Sunday events with both being widely supported across the armed forces community.”
It added: “Over the years, support for Remembrance Sunday events has been provided by the Mayor’s Office in its role providing support to civic events across the county borough. To ensure both these long-standing parades continue as part of Remembrance Sunday events, the council has stepped up to act as the event organiser.”
It means the local authority will now take responsibility for having  the
correct licences in place, as well as plans, risk assessments, and insurance cover for the event. They will also have to “ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, volunteers or contractors involved in arranging the parades and the public and participants attending.”
Following unanimous approval from members, it was also decided that the council will also provide an annual budget for the events, with the plans for Remembrance Day parades in 2023 costing a total of £18,000 for Port Talbot and Neath combined.
While there was support for the plans, Councillor Sonia Reynolds asked if there was an element of unfairness given that they would only be implemented in two of the borough’s towns, leaving out places such as Pontardawe. Others also questioned if the costs could be reduced moving forward.
In response, Officers said that they had not been approached by parade organisers from other parts of the borough, adding that the costing of such events had been a steep learning curve for members of staff,  and they could be in a position to reduce them in the future. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​