Popular summer festival loses licence after safety fears

Bruce Sinclair, Local Democracy Reporter

A popular seaside summer festival that attracts thousands of visitors has had its licence revoked after councillors concluded there were serious concerns over public safety.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee decided to revoke the licence for the Tenby Summer Spectacular following a lengthy hearing, ruling that the licensing objectives were not being adequately met.

The decision follows warnings from Dyfed-Powys Police that the event, in its current format, was “a disaster waiting to happen”.

Police raised concerns over crowd safety, emergency access and the protection of children, while other emergency services also expressed concerns during the hearing.

The annual event, organised by Tenby Round Table, has become one of the town’s best-known attractions, drawing thousands of people to the harbour area and raising significant sums for local charities.

Organisers had already cancelled this year’s event, saying they had been unable to complete their licensing arrangements because of unresolved questions over access to the site.

Round Table representatives disputed some of the incident figures presented by the emergency services, arguing they were not directly linked to the event itself.

They told the committee they had spent almost a year trying to resolve concerns over access to the licensed area.

“This year’s event has been cancelled,” they said. “It arose from the sheer volume of people visiting Tenby creating a question we have tried to get answered for the best part of a year; without a clear answer we couldn’t finish our licensing plan and couldn’t responsibly hold our events.”

In announcing the decision, the committee said it remained concerned about crowd safety, emergency access and protecting children from harm.

Councillor Aaron Carey, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for licensing, said the authority took “no satisfaction whatsoever” from revoking the licence.

“I know this will be very disappointing news for the organisers, volunteers, charities and many people who value the Tenby Summer Spectacular,” he said.

He acknowledged the event’s longstanding contribution to local charities and the economy but said public safety had to come first.

“The sub-committee also recognises the longstanding charitable contribution of the event, its importance to the local economy and the significant funds it raises for local good causes.

“However, committee members concluded that public safety must always be the overriding consideration.”

Carey said the committee had carefully considered evidence from the emergency services, council officers and organisers before reaching its decision, describing the concerns raised by Dyfed-Powys Police as “extremely powerful”.

He added that agencies believed the event had outgrown its current setting because of its size and popularity.

‘Disorder’

Despite revoking the licence, he said all agencies remained willing to work with organisers to address the issues identified and explore whether the event could return in a safer format in future.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “After reviewing the event in its current format, we raised concerns surrounding public safety, protection of children from harm and the prevention of crime and disorder.

“Keeping our communities safe must be our priority and we remain committed to working with them to hold a safe event in the future.”