Friday, December 30th, 2011
This is the way the year ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
So TS Eliot, the most famous poet with a tenuous link to the area, didn’t exactly write.
And now, in a frankly insulting trivialisation of a great poem, we’ve paraphrased Eliot’s words and applied them to Broadstairs’ end of year fireworks – or rather the lack of.
For the last ten years, Broadstairs has brought in the New Year with a firework display on Viking Bay. This year, however, the fireworks are cancelled – apparently late notice from the council on a risk assessment has led to the display being called off. Efforts made by local traders to reorganise the fireworks were unsuccessful with the council offices closed till next week.
It’s a big shame – the fireworks draw thousands of people to the town. My favourite image from last year’s event was the sight of a drunken couple heading up the high street on the stroke of midnight, walking yards apart from each other, clearly in the aftermath of a colossal row, while the fireworks went off in the sky behind them.
That’s the traditional way to end the year – with an argument.
the latest
you reckon
Still, i am very flattered by the attention our lo [...]
According to Salon Bohemia on Salon Bohemia
Dear Christine, you are more than welcome to take [...]
According to Salon Bohemia on Salon Bohemia
Okay Christine, thanks for your comments. Not sure [...]
According to isleone on Salon Bohemia
IM AFRAID I FOUND THIS BAR WHEN FIRST OPEN TO BE [...]
According to christine on Salon Bohemia
TDC’s resolve stayed firm despite the best efforts of: Laura Sandys, Clive Hart, Julie Marson, Mave Saunders, Chamber of Commerce, The Broadie, BTLA and other various sorts who all feel passionately about the town. Surely in this economic climate the council should be helping events organisers not hinder them? We want a can do council, not a can’t be bovvered one!
probably expecting too much, wanting a little give & take to maintain a tradition 100,s of people look forward to.
oh no shock horror Broadstairs has no fireworks for one New Years Eve!
As I understand it this is due to stricter interpretation of the rules regarding events. Could this all be down to the Abba weekend in May? In which the organizers just thought it was OK to hold an event on a public beach.
Fiona do you still want the “can do councilors” from Tower Hamlets to have a go at running a seaside resort? Something they know nothing about, a bit like yourself!
wow LO that’s a bit out of order, you hide behind your nomme de but fire shots at somebody who has the honesty to put her head above the parapets
LO – do we actually know each other? I thought you liked Big Broadstairs Weekend?
so what should we do to replace the fireworks? all down on the beach with a packet of sparklers? Cover yourself in glitter & take a torch? or 2 minutes silence for the death of a sensible, civilised approach to a good town coping with the recession
Or maybe just go to Ramsgate this year? Watch them there, as I’m sure many people from the other towns of Thanet travel to Broadstairs when they are on. After all there is much more to Thanet than just Broadstairs.
I fully understand the frustration with TDC and the powers that be, but this is nothing new. It will never change.
I personally think Broadstairs needs to drop the precious attitude as well.
The moral of the story is plan well ahead in advance when it comes down to anything council related.
No Fiona I do not know you, but your reputation precedes you. Yes I did think Broadstairs Big Weekend was a success.
If you place your head above the parapet prepare to be shot at……repeatedly
Folks, as someone who (eg with Mave) helped to start the New Years Eve fireworks, namely for the millennium both in 1999 and 2000, when it was much, much larger and attended by a fair few thousands, please allow me to pitch in. We can either bicker among ourselves or work together. Personally, I want the latter. And I am prepared to put my head above the parapet. LO, Broadie, Fiona, Laura, councillors, traders, whomever: care to join me? If so, when shall we meet? The bigger issue is not just fireworks, but other events. Oh, and not just in Broadstairs, but elsewhere. Who is with me? Anyone?
Seth,
I would be very happy to speak to you about your plans for the future if you would want me.
Your positive view links in exactly with what Mac from the Pavilion and I agreed on Thursday. All working together so that this NEVER happens again.
I spent nearly two days this week trying with Mac ,the police and others to make it possible for the Fireworks to take place.
The Police,a senior officer from TDc and myself met at the Pavilion on my request on Thursday to see what could be done. There were some outstanding issues on even the revised application that would have left the organisers and TDc as the Land owners in a vulnerable position.
(For the record the original application dated 12th December was received by the Safety Advsory Group (police, Fire, Ambulance councillor officrs) and examined by them on the 19th.)
It would seem in recent years elected members do not attend this group although I have been asking consistantly if I could for my own ward.
As the new cabinet member if I had known there were issues on the 19th I would have called the applicant straight away and tried to put in place what was required to make the event happen. Officers are aware of my feelings and this matter will be properly addressed on the 3rd January
Once I heard the story around the cancellation on 27th December I called the applicant Viking Fireworks first followed by the Police then the Mayor Dave, then Mac , Laura Sandys , the Councils Out of Hours service and everyone I could think of who might have helped.. Mave and Jo kindly got back to me with all the information they had.
An Out of Hours TDC officer forwarded the orginal paperwork to me and although there were issues I felt we could work on them.
I didnt hear back from Ms Sandys but met with Mac and the Police as described on Thursday at 12pm. at the Pavilion.
The Health and Safety concerns were around crowd management and the conflicting information on possible numbers attending. Anything from 500 to 15,000.
The Organisers own insurance needed to be in place quite apart from Vikings. There was no more money for this and I tried to find the funding at short notice to help. I also tried to find stewards and First Aiders. I said I would go over to help to make up the required numbers.
Once the decsion was taken that we could do no more we accepted the organisers decision to leave the cancellation in place. It had been widely advertised as cancelled already.
It is an absolute shame that the Fireworks are not going ahead tonight and I know the lessons learned will be put to good use. After I speak to officers at TDC on Tuesday I would want to meet with you Seth and anyone else who can work together for the long term.
Regards, Iris Johnston Cabinet Member for Community Services.
So an application was submitted to TDC and the relevant authorities for an event which would be by your estimates, attended by 500 to 15,000 people on the 12th of December?
What do you people expect?
This council struggles to arrange beach inspectors and lifeguards (and I use that term loosely) in time for a summer season! I know of someone who has been waiting for a lease from the council in writing for two years!
This is the council that carries out major repairs to seafront facilities in the height of the season.
The level of incompetence is staggering and to sum it all up, the head of Thanet Leisure Force who is in charge of a multimillion pound budget started as a dish washer in the Winter Gardens!
This has been the same since the 1970′s, corruption, incompetence and negligence.
Was there any financial saving from NOT having the fireworks? If so, that would seem to be the only benefit of not following tradition.
Going by the explanations laid out here there was tons of time spent by well-intended folk with a can-do attitude trying to pick up the pieces, only to be rewarded with conceited derogatory remarks.
Is it any wonder accountability is lacking. What should be done? Sack the council officers? No-one else would relish the constant criticism that is so counter-productive.
My cat and dog want to congratulate the person who prevented the fireworks going ahead.
Why not start early and cancel New Years Eve fireworks for Broadstairs and Ramsgate seafront now and relocate them to Westwood Cross as almost everything else is relocating there anyway??!!!!
Brilliant! That’s 2 benefits. Any more?
Why don’t we set the fireworks off at sea so that the whole of Thanet can watch the same display. Think how much money this would save. We could even have fireworks on the wind turbines creating lots of catherine wheels.
Fireworks on the turbines – finally someone has come up with a sensible idea.
And in case anyone is looking for some further views on this, you can check out the ThanetOnline blog post: http://thanetonline.blogspot.com/2012/01/broadstairs-fireworks-fiasco-aftermath.html
The money for NYE fireworks was raised by local businesses and a contribution from Broadstairs Town Council.
In the push to try to keep the event on, The Broadie and Helter Skelter managed to raise a further £335 from other parties who also feel passionately about the town.
I’d love to see a transparent, accountable council – why isn’t that possible? The more of us who push for that the better.