Councillor defends local authority's bonfires rule

Councillor Ann Ainsworth said the bonfires had been built too soon and were too big

A council has defended its policy on public bonfires after two were lit early following safety concerns about their size.

Wirral Council approved plans to regulate community-led Bonfire Night celebrations last year so all events are now required to undergo an approval process.

Councillor Ann Ainsworth said two bonfires were lit at the Woodchurch Estate and Ilchester Park in Birkenhead on 22 October after a "miscommunication" between the council and the fires' organisers.

"The bonfires had been built too big, they were investigated by the fire service and an independent fire safety expert," said Ainsworth. "Organisers were told they were too big and given 24 hours to reduce the size of them."

One of the two community bonfires that were set alight early was at Ilchester Park in Birkenhead

She added: "Somehow I think this message got distorted and came out saying 'Wirral Council were not allowing these bonfires' which isn't true - they were never cancelled."

Ainsworth said organisers began building the bonfires too early, before they had secured the permissions required.

"It is really disappointing given all the work the community safety team had put in with organisers," she added.

"Some of these bonfires were started too early, the permissions weren't in place and when you start building too early you run the risk that someone might set them alight."

The new rules around bonfires were brought in last year following recommendations from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

The council stopped funding bonfires in 2022 and Ainsworth said community events were set up across the borough.

"Councils are having to make hard choices about the things they can afford to fund and unfortunately these events are [not] one of them," Ainsworth said.

"We took the pragmatic view that what we wanted to do was work with communities to enable these events to happen safely."

She said anyone who wants to hold an event can apply to apply to Wirral Council.

She said application must be submitted at least eight weeks before the planned event date to ensure sure all the necessary documentation and insurances policies can be completed in place in time.