Talking Politics column with Kim Leadbeater MP: A safer approach to fireworks
Spen Valley is a brilliant place. I’m proud to be from here and proud to represent my home and our community as our local MP. Of course that doesn’t mean that there aren’t problems and things we can do better.
One thing that dozens of local people get in contact with me about this time every year is fireworks.
I’m not against fireworks, far from it. Like many of you I’ve attended plenty of weddings and parties where fireworks have been amazing and really added to the occasion. They can be part of a spectacular event and a well done firework display really can be brilliant. However, I do believe it is reasonable to ask people to use fireworks in a way that is both safe for themselves and others as well as respectful to other people and of course animals.
To get a better sense of what we think about fireworks in Spen Valley and what the rules should be I ran a survey that opened a couple of months ago. I am grateful to the hundreds of people that responded. The government ran their own consultation on regulating fireworks, which I submitted our Spen Valley responses to.
One thing that was really clear was that people in Spen Valley think the rules need to change. A huge 94.5 per cent said that they thought fireworks being sold to the public should be quieter, with 87.5 per cent saying they should be much quieter. Over 90 per cent of respondents said that the loudest fireworks should be restricted to professional displays only and over 90 per cent also said that there should be types of fireworks that the public should no longer be able to buy.
People get in touch with me about fireworks for a whole variety of reasons, but mostly about the noise they produce. Concerns have been raised about the distress that the loud noises can cause for veterans and other people who might suffer due to unexpected sounds. There is also huge concern about the impact they can have on animals including livestock and pets. I know Spen Valley is full of animal lovers and people always tell me about the distress of their dogs and cats around bonfire night.
Others raised the anti-social behaviour that can occur with some firework incidents including keeping people up late at night and using fireworks as weapons. The rules need to reflect the fact that this is unacceptable
I will keep pushing on sensible changes to the law that reduce the inconvenience and danger that loud fireworks and anti-social use can cause in our communities. That includes supporting the government’s proposals if I think they are the right for us in Spen Valley. I have previously supported a Private Member’s Bill to limit the noise levels of fireworks sold to the public which unfortunately did not progress.
Whilst the government consultation has closed, you can still contribute to my local firework survey by visiting: https://tinyurl.com/2hfhf2vb