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Motion on funfairs to be discussed at next Full Council meeting

3rd March, 2023

The next Full Council meeting is on Wednesday 8th March at 7pm in the Council Chamber, Commercial Road, Weymouth.

On the agenda, councillors will be discussing a motion about funfairs on Weymouth seafront. This item was originally discussed by the Council’s Services Committee on 22nd February, when a decision was made to reduce the number of funfairs in 2023. Alternative options for locating the funfair had previously been explored but were not viable.

The motion before Full Council recommends:

  1. The Council agrees to reinstate the following funfair bookings on the Pavilion forecourt for 2023, to provide activity / attraction for the benefit of both residents and visitors, and to provide an income for both councils:
    • 29 April – 1 May (May Day, 3 days)
    • 6 May – 8 May (Coronation Weekend, 3 days)
    • 27 May – 4 June (May half-term, 9 days)
    • 24 July – 31 Aug (Summer Hols, 39 days – one operator, reduces turn-over of machinery)
    • 21 Oct – 29 Oct (October half-term, 9 days)
    • 5 Nov (Bonfire Night, 1 day)
  2. That Council directs officers to add/amend the following conditions into the licences for funfair bookings on the Pavilion forecourt:
    • On “non-event nights” the funfair will close at 9:30pm, on “event nights” the fair will close at 10:30pm
    • Setting up or breaking down of equipment will not take place after 10pm or before 8am.
    • Funfair operators will reduce volume levels of music and announcements for the last hour of operation each day.
    • On event nights, the funfair operator will employ two SIA licensed door supervisors to patrol within the funfair area.
  3. That the Council would welcome alternative proposals from the community, for different events and activities at this site, or for other sites around the town.
  4. The types and scales of rides; is for officers to agree in conjunction with the Chair of Services Committee and ward members.
  5. The already booked funfairs at Easter and at the Jubilee Clock site, remain unchanged.

Councillors are asked to discuss the proposals and decide on any action to be taken.

The other main items on the agenda include the Community Governance Review (CGR), where councillors are asked to agree a response to the current Dorset Council consultation on the CGR, and the We Are Weymouth BID ballot.

Weymouth has a Business Improvement District (BID), operating as We Are Weymouth, that covers the majority of the town centre area.

A BID operates for a period of no longer than five years. All eligible businesses are then invited to participate in a ballot to approve the BID for a further period.

We hold eight out of approximately 680 votes, and the recommendation before councillors is to cast our eight votes for the continuation of the BID. The ballot closes on 30 March 2023.

To read the agenda papers in full, visit https://www.weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk/committee/

ENDS