Thousands of street parties confirmed for royal wedding

The nation looks set for a right royal knees up on Friday as the number of road closure requests for street parties tops 5,000.

With Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding only round the corner, councils across the country have been inundated with a final surge of applications as organisers stock up on bunting and fold-out tables.

London’s boroughs alone have now dealt with more than 800, and outside the English capital, Bristol has received 54, and Cardiff 53. The national anthem will resound across Hertfordshire where 298 requests have been submitted, while Surrey has also proved a patriotic hotspot with 205.

About 5,500 royal wedding road closure applications have now been received across England and Wales, up from 4,000 three weeks ago, most of which have been approved or soon will be.

However, councils are also aware of thousands of other street parties at the end of cul-de-sacs, on pavements or in driveways which haven’t needed official permission, meaning the total number will be much higher. On top of these, there will be untold celebrations in gardens, pubs and parks, and many councils will be holding their own parties for residents.

Cllr Chris White, chair of the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Programme Board, said:

“Councils across the country have pulled out all the stops to make organising royal wedding street parties as easy as possible. The occasion has really enthused residents in some areas and it’s been no easy task for council staff to manage all the differing requests, but it’s work they’re more than happy to do. Bringing communities together in these tough times can only be a good thing, and it’s something councils see as one of their key roles.

“Straightforward guidance has been readily available from council offices and online, along with simple application forms. Many councils have waived road closure and insurance fees where possible, and others have given out grants to support communities in marking the special occasion. Some have also put together party packs for organisers, including free bunting and flags, others are delivering and collecting road closure signs for organisers, and some are even laying on special rubbish collections.

“Despite sterling efforts in going above and beyond their statutory duties, council staff have had to shoulder repeated and often disingenuous claims of being overly bureaucratic. Many of these criticisms have come direct from Government ministers, and the vast majority have been totally erroneous and ill-founded. It’s testament to councils' positive approach that so far they have dealt with about 5,500 road closure applications as well as numerous other street party requests where they have taken a very light touch approach, simply offering guidance when requested.

“Common sense has usually prevailed with amicable solutions found where possible. It’s fantastic that April 29 looks set to be a great day with people everywhere coming together to enjoy a good knees-up, in one form or another.”