Health and safety rules shouldn’t mar royal celebrations

Don’t be fobbed off by jobsworths over Sidmouth’s Royal Wedding celebration plans

SIDMOUTH residents planning Royal Wedding celebrations, should not be fobbed off by jobsworths citing health and safety regulations.

The Government’s Health and Safety Executive is concerned ‘health and safety’ will be trotted out as an excuse not to hold special events to mark Wills and Kate’s wedding, so it has published new information on its website (www.hse.gov.uk) setting the record straight.

Chris Grayling, Minister for Health and Safety, said: “The royal wedding will be a great national occasion, and I want to reassure everyone that they can have street parties with friends and family and bring out the bunting to celebrate in time-honoured British tradition.”

He said the executive, which has also published this cartoon, lampooning those who might stand in the way of fun events, was “restoring common sense to our health and safety system, ensuring it is there to protect people at work, not penalise people at leisure.”

South West HSE director Terry Rose added: “Volunteers should feel confident to organise celebrations...I want to encourage people to challenge those who tell you something can’t be done for health and safety reasons - it’s too easy an excuse to trot out.”