Should Councils Pay for a Fireworks Display?
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Should councils pay for a fireworks display? 
Nottingham Council have said they won't be doing a display this year due to “increasing financial pressures in a very difficult current economic climate”
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They will use any excuse to stop people from going out and enjoy themselves, we use to have a big bonfire and fireworks display but council stopped it due to safety concerns, yet there had never been any accidents ect...
martinlufc5637 they aren't stopping anyone from going out and enjoying themselves, but councils are suffering from 13 years of tory cuts in funding. Try to think rationally about things instead of giving knee-jerk reactions without any factual basis.
gothvixen but it's ok to fund Pride events all over the country, how much did all that cost local councils, our local council funded pride in park event, while the park itself is totally run down
It’s always about money. We used to a local one for free and it got so many people out and meeting up, it was fantastic. Small businesses got involved which was great for them.
eyeballkerry They do something similar where I have just moved to, it's put on by a family in the community and they do a free fireworks display and sweets for the kids etc
No, they shouldn't.
Monies should be raised through sponsorship, ticket sales, vendors pitches etc.for it.
Fireworks displays are not cheap to put on. Why should the council pay for it?
Leannexxx Kids that don't like fireworks? I've never heard of such a thing. Harvey the woofer certainly doesn't like them.
People think that all the council have to do is to buy a few rockets and that's it. They don't factor in the costs of the organisation of a display, hiring the pyrotechnic people, cost of having the fire service present, hiring of marshalls, the list goes on and on. It costs a lot of money.
People seem to expect the council to do everything and then have a right moan when their council tax goes up a couple of quid
TheChimp My daughter has never liked the fireworks, shes not one for loud noises.
SamGoodship It was the louder, the better when I was young and was always disappointed if a firework didn't make a big bang.
I just find them really annoying now especially with the local idiots setting them off weeks before Bonfire night.
IMO fireworks shouldn't be sold to the public and should only be used in organised displays, but the displays should pay for themselves and not rely on the council.
I feel old.
Why should they? They can arrange one and people can pay but why do we want councils wasting money where it can be spent better elsewhere?
With so many councils going bankrupt I can't see how they can literally burn money. In a perfect world yes, give their council tax payers a joyful evening but there are so many other services that need the money.
Lynibis If they were to charge for a ticket, how much do you think would be reasonable?
SamGoodship considering the amount of people who attend displays I reckon £2 per head, under 5s free and family ticket £6. It would maybe not cover whole cost but would certainly help.
However, it is very difficult to make sure all attendees pay if in a park or seafront and people living nearby would still see for free.
SamGoodship yes I would be willing to pay. Councils are facing bankruptcy in many districts.
No. Money should be diverted from these kind of 'events' and spent on those experiencing homelessness/living in poverty.
I am sure there will be private displays here and there so no I don't think the councils should be using our hard earned money, paid to them as council tax, for these things when they are cutting back on essential services.
On average, the top 10 per cent of poorest councils in England have received a 28.3% cut in funding in the last 13 years. In that same time period, the top 10% of richest councils have received a 10.1% cut on average . Any council would be justified in stopping firework diplays when more important public services are underfunded. If it came down to paying towards a library, childcare provision or fireworks, which are harmful to wildlife and the environment, I don't think the choice is difficult. People really need to think about reality instead of giving empty responses. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but nobody has to take you seriously if you haven't based your thoughts on facts.
Councils simply don't have the funds, but I dont think it's their responsibility anyway. Surely there our other events by charities and local organisations that can be attended.
Our council have just cancelled the carnival which they only restarted last year as it was originally cancelled over 20 years ago.
Yes I think they should organise displays , it's once a year, local community events need to be maintained. They already have the venues, plenty of staff to staff them ,the equipment needed ,free advertising resources through , libraries council web sites etc , the only real cost to them is the actual Fireworks and they could make that money back through ticket sales, sponsorships, retail stall fees etc. Much safer and better than buying your own .
Where do most of the council money goes when most of the councils don't look after their councils one of my friend who dont have bin only got green bin bags for recycled stuff once in 2 years & even after that they put both bins together most of the roads are dirty specially with dogs poo went to Blackpool couple of months ago it was very dirty with very old building was told its the poorest city of uk
let the people pay for the own fireworks- no need for councils to pay for them when there are so many other things that need addressing by the councils. if the people want fireworks let them uy their own!
No It should be left for the organizers who will make their money by sales. I can watch It for free as where I live I can see the location from my place. They hold It right close to the beach so I can see It over the sea as It goes up. Perfect!
If they put £1 aside from every Council Tax bill the cost would be covered methinks.So yeah they shouldn't be such .Battersea Park used to be free now they fence it out and charge £12 a head.My mate lives twenty floors up and nearby so I watch from up there lol.
Definitely no fireworks should happen regardless of who pays for it as our great mayor in London says air in outer London is not clean ;)
chirag63 Have you seen this about ULEZ? They aren't really concerned about clean air, they are concerned with following/tracking YOU.
I miss when the pit used to do it, massive bonfire and fireworks that lasted a hour or so, food as well was free
Under the circumstances of current climate no. Given people are struggling to live money needs to be spent on helping those struggling.
If it's not financially viable then they absolutely should not go ahead. We can't moan about them doing a bad job and wasting money, then also moan when they make cut backs. We all love a good fireworks display but there are things which should be prioritised above things like this. Plus there is enough private events of this kind held so if people want to go to something like this they will be able to anyway
Yes, large firework displays are still very popular and they attract a lot of visitors who spend money in local businesses. Although, a lot of councils have cancelled their displays over the last few years. Brexit was a factor in cancellations as it caused supply issues and increased costs - www.independent.co.uk/news/business/fireworks-brexit-supply-issues-shortages-b1924745.html
Ticketed events, where visitors have to pay to enter, such as Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party and London's New Year's Eve Fireworks, can work, but they probably won't be feasible at many locations.
I never attend them anyway so I probably wouldn't notice if they stopped them. Our son isn't a fan of fireworks so we don't go to watch them. You can see them from our house and they are loud enough.
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