Council forces war veterans to pay street cleaning costs for Remembrance Day parade

For more than 80 years the old soldiers in the village of Osmotherley, North Yorkshire have honoured the war dead in time-honoured fashion.

Now the 15 veterans who march just 50 yards along the village high street to the war memorial are being asked to pay street cleaning fees by the local council.

Colonel David Black, chairman of Osmotherley's Royal British Legion branch said: "This year we applied for a road closure and the council sent a letter stating that if any street cleaning was needed it would charge us £54 an hour.

"I blew my top at that. This is not a protest march or a pop concert. It is just about 15 veterans marching 50 yards to the war memorial.

"They are not likely to be throwing cans or bottles about. We are being brought down by stupid bureaucracy."

Colonel Black, 63, a former officer in the Queen's Lancashire Regiment who spent 32 years in the Army, is also angry the veterans have been asked for a risk assessment by the police.

He said: "I don't remember doing a risk assessment before going to do my five tours in Northern Ireland or for my spell in Aden.

"I am determined the march will go ahead but some small groups might look at this and not go ahead and that would be a very grave shame."

The Royal British Legion claim veterans groups all over the country are running into masses of red tape.

The Home Office issued guidelines three years ago asking councils and police forces to support veterans' parades.

Now the Legion is asking councils to follow that advice in discussions about Remembrance Day marches.

Hambleton District Council denied that it was picking on the Osmotherley veterans.

A spokesman said: "They were sent a standard letter that goes out to all requests for road closures.

"It is more for events like street fairs and we don't envisage any problems with the Remembrance Day march.

"In future, references to the street cleaning will be taken out of the letter."

North Yorkshire Police said it was standard policy to ask for a risk assessment so they can police the event.

"We are not asking for detailed specialists or an in-depth assessment and they can do it themselves," said a spokesman.