The organiser of Liverpool Christmas Tractor Convoy has issued a warning that unless the law is changed; this year's convoy might be the last.
Olly Harrison has been organising the Liverpool Christmas Tractor Convoy for the past four years. The convoy raises money for Alder Hey Children's Hospital; last year it raised £75,000. However, Olly is now warning that 2023 could be the Christmas Tractor Convoy's last following disruption due to the lack of a police escort.
He said: "It's like we've become victims of our own success and the convoy has become too big for us alone to handle. We had thousands of people watching on either sides of the roads."
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Olly was told last January by Merseyside Police that they would not be able to help with traffic management, as they had done in previous years, due to a change in the police's policy.
The farmer said: "The police told me they can't provide an escort. I do feel sorry for the police because they are controlled by national regulation. They did offer to provide some community engagement and I don't think you can get a bigger community engagement than this."
In a statement, Chief Inspector Kev Chadderton told the ECHO: "In 2013, national policy for the policing of pre-planned events changed making it clear that the organisers of the event, and not police, are responsible for traffic management and the escort of any parades. Event organisers should consider using the services of an accredited traffic management company to assess the risk of an event and the closure of any roads to ensure safety.
“Despite this, Merseyside Police has chosen to support the traffic management of certain events – including the tractor parade – since 2013 and we have been happy to ensure the community can enjoy them and that they have passed by without significant disruption to the wider public.
“In line with the legislation, the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing have stressed that policing should not take responsibility for closing roads or managing traffic, other than in an emergency. This is to make sure police resources remain focused on tackling crime and anti-social behaviour."
To help with traffic management the convoy were lucky enough to have the help of Go Traffic Management but there were only enough volunteers to escort the tractor convoy past Alder Hey; where the crowds were busiest. Lack of proper traffic management meant the convoy was disrupted by traffic lights, which split the convoy in two, and parked cars also blocked parts of the route.
Olly said: "The council told us we needed more resources for marshalling but that would mean hiring over 100 people and that amount of people can't do it for nothing and if what we're paying people outweighs the money were raising we can't do that."
The farmer who owns a farm in Tarbock said: "I'm frustrated because it's a wonderful event I just haven't got the resource. We need more help from the local authorities otherwise this might be our last."
The organisation are exploring a variety of options to try and make sure next year's convoy takes place. Olly has suggested changing next year's route which currently passes through Halewood and Childwall up towards Alder Hey.
Instead the new route could go through the city centre and then up towards Alder Hey. Olly said: "The city centre has wider roads and more car park spaces which will make it easier for cars to park so we won't have spectator's cars blocking convoy and because it's a Sunday it should be quieter."
Despite the disruptions to this year's convoy; Olly is still keen to emphasis how much of a success the event is. The 42-year-old said: "I don't want the bad news to outweigh the good news. We've still raised a hell of a lot of money and even though it was delayed we still had a lot of people with smiles on their faces."
He added: "Hopefully we can find a solution."
Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton's statement continued: “We were pleased to see the tractor parade passed by without any significant issues and that families across Liverpool were able to enjoy the festive display. It was also wonderful to see so much money raised for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
“We are continuing to provide advice and support to the organisers of the event as best we can, based on the current legislation and guidance. This was communicated very early in the year to give them enough time to put plans in place to ensure the safety of the event.
“Merseyside Police are committed to supporting this event in future years, and we will continue to work with organisers to ensure they make arrangements to ensure this vital requirement is in place.”
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