Agenda item

To consider a report on the work being undertaken in relation to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

The Sub-Committee considered a report on the work being undertaken in relation to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

The celebrations would centre on an extended weekend on 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th June 2012. Buckingham Palace had issued plans for the celebrations and identified how they would like communities to be involved.  An overview of the plans had been circulated with the report and set out a series of events and initiatives including:

§         The Big Jubilee Lunch (3^rd June 2012), in which people would be encouraged to share lunch with neighbours and friends in the form of traditional street parties or picnics.

§         The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons, the aim being to light 2,012 or more beacons across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

§         Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge - a campaign to protect 2012 outdoor recreational spaces in communities across the country as a permanent living legacy of the Jubilee. 

§         Jubilee Woods Project, which aimed to plant six million trees across the UK in 2011/12.

§         Jubilee Time Capsule - a digital archive of the Queen’s reign to which individuals could contribute.

§         The Thames Jubilee Pageant – a flotilla of up to 1,000 boats on the River Thames.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport was responsible for co-ordinating the Government’s role for the celebrations. Local authorities in conjunction with their Lord Lieutenants would be expected to provide details of any planned activities in their areas. The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, David Briggs, was meeting representatives of Councils across Cheshire.

An officer working group had been established at Cheshire East, led by the Performance and Partnerships Team, to co-ordinate and promote activities in the Borough and ensure that communities had as much information as possible to run events easily and safely. The Council would also be co-ordinating the lighting of Jubilee Beacons in Cheshire East, as well as ensuring a good involvement in all the initiatives.

The Performance and Partnerships Manager reported as follows:

§         a dedicated website on the Jubilee would be going live in a week or so;

§         town and parish councils, schools and faith groups were being advised of the event and encouraged to take part;

§         the Council would not impose any charges for facilitating street party arrangements;

§         there was a possibility that a boat from Cheshire would be taking part in the Thames Jubilee Pageant;

§         there was an opportunity to name something as a legacy for the Diamond Jubilee; a number of capital projects were under consideration;

§         Bishops were organising services of celebration across the country; a service had been planned for Chester Cathedral and Officers were ascertaining whether a similar service was planned for Macclesfield;

§         The Lord Lieutenant had appointed Deputy Lieutenants to liaise with town and parish councils across Cheshire.

§         Leisure Services were considering suitable sites for the QE II Fields Challenge.

Members agreed on the need for any legacy projects to be sustainable in the longer term.

It was suggested that landowners adjoining the motorways could be encouraged to plant trees in order to reduce CO². Members agreed that the suggestion should be conveyed to the Lord Lieutenant.

Members noted that there potential issues involving the creation of images of the Queen and it was agreed that town and parish councils should be advised accordingly.

[Note: At this point in the meeting, the Chairman gave his apologies, vacated the Chair and left the meeting.]

Councillor Baxendale (Vice-Chairman) in the Chair

Members discussed the arrangements for the Council’s beacon and agreed that it should be located at the highest appropriate point in Cheshire East.

RESOLVED

That the proposed arrangements be noted and the comments and suggestions of Members be taken on board by the officer working group.