Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis has announced that community events will no longer be hit with policing charges.
Mr Ellis says organisers will no longer have to pay for policing provided for genuine community events in Staffordshire and the City of Stoke-on-Trent.
He said: “These events are really important to local communities and the police are there to help them happen. That’s why I have changed the rules in Staffordshire.
“The last thing I want to see is for long-standing community events to face closure because of policing costs.
“Why should Staffordshire people pay twice for policing genuine non-commercial community events? They already pay for policing through local and national taxes.
“Police officers want to be at the heart of their communities and I want officers to help make communities better places to live by supporting these events.
“The new arrangements will mean that organisers will be expected to take the lead on things like parking and stewarding but will now be able to plan for events without worrying about having to fund police costs.”
The changes only apply to community events as commercial event organisers still have to cover police costs.
