Carnivals

Carolyn Harris Excerpts

Thursday 12th March 2026 Westminster Hall

[Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I do not know whether you have had the opportunity to visit any of the Somerset carnivals, but they are spectacular and huge. One of the magnificent seven is, of course, Wells, and the second in my patch is Shepton Mallet. As my hon. Friend was saying, they not only contribute to cultural life but have an absolutely huge number of volunteers. They work on making carnival carts all year round, engaging young people in the activity. It is fantastic that so many young people—literally hundreds and hundreds—get involved in building the carts. They really are a spectacle, and I invite you to come down to Somerset to have a look. You will not see anything else like it anywhere else in the country.

[Carolyn Harris (in the Chair)]

I look forward to that.

--- Later in debate ---

[Tessa Munt]

My hon. Friend is making a brilliant speech. I thank her and my friend the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare (Dan Aldridge) for bringing this debate to Westminster Hall, because it is a really important issue. I have been a carnival collector for years. I carry two buckets. In years gone past, it was almost impossible to carry them because they were so heavy with coins. Everyone used to save their pennies, tuppences and fivepence and tenpence pieces, but now there is very little of that money saved across a year. First, that is because things are tight: it is hard to live, so people need every penny that they can get. Secondly, as my hon. Friend mentioned, there is a lack of wi-fi. In fact, in parts of Shepton Mallet and particularly in the city of Wells—

[Carolyn Harris (in the Chair)]

Order. May I ask the hon. Member to come to her question?

[Tessa Munt]

Almost the whole of the way east of Wells is without any wi-fi, even for those who live there. That makes things incredibly difficult. Does my hon. Friend agree?

[Sarah Dyke]

I certainly do agree, and I thank my hon. Friend for her question this time. She makes a very good point: the income that was brought in buckets and thrown on the carts once sustained carnivals. Now, it does not go far enough to cover the cost of running them, especially with all the additional associated costs.

That concern has led to leading club and committee members in my constituency, including John Dando of Glastonbury carnival committee, Sue and Gordon Stockman of Cary Comedians carnival club and Dr Andrew Tallon of Mendip Vale carnival club, founding the Carnivals in Somerset Promotion Project to protect this unique tradition and prevent it from disappearing, which could happen unless urgent efforts are made to widen participation and increase support. I thank them for founding that brilliant project to keep our brilliant carnivals alive.

I would like to highlight not only what carnival clubs bring to Somerset’s culture and economy, but the opportunities they bring to members. At my roundtable, people told me about the vital practical, teamworking and social skills they gained, along with skills in engineering, electrical, carpentry, costume design, event organisation, publicity and accounting, to name but a few opportunities on offer within the carnival environment. Those are all vital, hands-on skills that can translate directly into future careers for younger members. That is particularly important in rural areas such as Somerset, where opportunities for practical learning and apprenticeships have diminished. For young people for whom the traditional education system just is not suitable, carnivals provide an outlet to develop skills, learn from experienced volunteers and contribute to their community.

In Somerset, 7% of 16 to 18-year-olds are not in education, employment or training, which is above the national average. Sally Taylor from Wick carnival club in Glastonbury stressed the role that clubs play in helping young people with SEND to gain skills and opportunities, but for that to continue, we must make sure that carnival clubs can access safe and secure premises from which they can operate. Kym Tomms from South Somerset Carnival Park noted that two clubs on the south Somerset circuit face closure, as they do not have adequate physical space to run their clubs. One currently has outdoor storage space only, while the other faces the expiry of its shed lease next year. Following more than a decade of negotiations, planning permission has finally been granted for South Somerset Carnival Park to build a new storage shed on the Dillington estate for four carnival clubs. These facilities are not simply workshops; they are community and educational hubs. Although planning permission has been secured, the clubs must now raise the funds to construct the sheds—a process that organisers say could take years and obviously adds financial pressure.

Carnival clubs across the region are facing umpteen barriers when seeking permission for the industrial-sized units needed to build their carts. We need a planning system that supports local enterprise and recognises when development will bring benefit to communities. Supporting carnivals and carnival clubs is an investment in transferable skills, strengthening communities and providing opportunities for young people.

Health and safety is absolutely paramount for carnival clubs and carnival committees. Since the late 1990s, organisers have rightly seen increased regulations designed to protect participants, spectators and volunteers. Since the covid-19 pandemic, sadly, Somerset council has not held any safety advisory group meetings prior to carnival season that include all the relevant stakeholders. Avon and Somerset police operational planning specialist Andy Newland told me that reimplementing this advisory group is key to enable these important discussions.

Due to the crisis in local authority funding, Somerset council has been forced to move to a risk assessment approach. That is why I am calling for councils to be subject to a statutory requirement to hold safety advisory group meetings with all relevant stakeholders ahead of carnival. With support from central Government for local cultural events, we can make sure that our carnivals remain safe and well-organised celebrations for years to come.

In the 1990s, Avon and Somerset police introduced a vehicle special order specifying the height, weight and length of a cart, known as “the box”. Diane from Harlequin carnival club told me that the approach has levelled the playing field for clubs in competition, as they are all building to the same dimensions, while also seeking to improve public safety. That is a good thing, but the restrictions have diminished the creativity and flexibility that carnival clubs rely on when designing the carts and the fabulously themed productions. For example, if a performer’s arm movement goes too far outside the box, that is a breach of the safety restrictions that have been imposed. Although I understand why the regulations on the box are in place while the cart is being transported along the highways outside of a procession, it is really important that we are able to flex the regulations to make sure that, while the carnival is in procession, it is as spectacular as possible.

To achieve the right balance between safety and expression, I implore the Minister to bring together the Vehicle Certification Agency and carnival clubs and committees in Somerset, so that they can voice their concerns. The clubs and committees are not opposed to the regulations and support sensible restrictions—they themselves called for stronger safety regulations to professionalise carnivals in the late 1990s—but they must be fair and developed in co-ordination with those looking to keep this tradition alive.

Carnivals are a wonderful example of community cohesion, brought to fruition by the hard work and commitment of local volunteers. They bring people together across communities, as they have for hundreds of years, and we must make sure that they continue to do so in the future. Put simply, carnival is part of Somerset’s DNA, so I hope that we can secure its long-term future.

[Carolyn Harris (in the Chair)]

I call the co-sponsor of the debate, Dan Aldridge.