Email correspondence reveals council leader Samantha Dixon was annoyed on discovering the traditional Winter Watch parade had been cancelled to make way for the Coca Cola truck.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) response shows Cllr Dixon was concerned about the corporate PR stunt – organised by the CH1ChesterBID Company representing city centre retailers – taking precedence over a community event.
The Winter Watch had to be cancelled because of public safety concerns about managing the sheers numbers in the city centre if both events had taken place on December 3.
Related story: Coca Cola truck will visit Chester on Thursday December 3
However, the Watch was later rescheduled to take place on December 17 in line with a suggestion by the council leader - even though the original council event was 'contracted and paid for' according to the FOI response. The event will now take place at the same time as the annual Saturnalia parade.
A second Watch parade, on December 10, is going ahead as normal.
Cllr Dixon, Labour leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), wrote in an email to a senior council officer: “I would be very sorry to see a community event cancelled to make way for a ‘commercial’ proposition such as the Coca Cola truck. I hope the Winter Watch parade can be accommodated on an alternative date, perhaps closer to Christmas.”
The council leader also commented: “I have been aware, particularly last year, of a certain disdain for community-based parades in the city centre emanating from the BID, which I think is very unfortunate.”
Faced with ‘a barrage of tweets’, Cllr Dixon later told the officer said the situation had ‘escalated to the point’ where she wished it to be made ‘clear publicly’ that ‘the decision to cancel this Winter Watch parade was made without my knowledge or agreement of the administration’.
Decision makers?
Alison Knight, head of places strategy for CWaC, also expressed concerns in an email to fellow officers when she wrote: “I’m really concerned that I didn’t know anything about this? Who actually made the decision to cancel the watch? Why did the Coca Cola truck take precedence?”
John Murray of Queen’s Park, who submitted the FOI request, said: “My concern was to get to the truth. I have been a supporter of the Winter Watch as a volunteer in the past as a steward. And I feel that when the government is considering introducing a sugary drinks tax, promoting a unhealthy, sweet, sugary drink is sending out completely the wrong message. I know it’s popular and people are being called kill-joys.”
Mr Murray, who made clear he was not blaming the council administration, raised concerns about the influence of BID on city centre life given it represents narrow private sector interests.
He said: “I think the council should hold sway, the council is elected at least. It does concern me that certain organisations seem to be calling the shots.”
Similar criticisms were raised by busker Jonny Walker, an opponent of the proposed Public Space Protection Order, who suspected the BID was driving the controversial measures aimed at combating anti-social behaviour including the potential to fine rough sleepers.
Council matter
For her part, Rita Waters, chief executive of CH1ChesterBID, insists the decision to postpone the Winter Watch was ‘not a CH1 decision’ but a matter for the council.
Ms Waters argued BID benefited everyone because it was about promoting a better experience for people who ‘work, live, visit or study here’ so they ‘want to come back again’. By way of examples, she said £10,000 had been invested in this year’s Christmas parade, money had gone into new Christmas trees and lights, plus there had been work to clean The Bars’ subways and The Rows as well as removing chewing gum from the streets.
Consumer choice
Ms Waters, who acknowledged receiving critical emails about the Coca Cola event, said whether people chose to take the free samples of Coke that would be offered on the night was a matter of ‘consumer choice’ but an agreement had been struck with Coca Cola that free drinks would not be given to under 12s without parental permission. Ms Waters admitted she did not give sugary drinks to her own nine-year-old daughter.
“She won’t be given Coca Cola on the night. Thankfully I have a child who likes water because it’s cheap!” she joked. But she said her daughter would no doubt have her photo taken with the iconic truck at a major event expected to attract thousands to the city and ‘put Chester on the map’.
“CH1 Chester BID is about driving foot-fall, increasing dwell time and hopefully increasing spend in the city,” added the chief executive, who said her organisation was about promoting events both big and small.
Asked about Cllr Dixon’s claim that BID had ‘a certain disdain for community-based parades’, Ms Waters responded: “Without speaking to Sam I can’t comment on it. I don’t know what she means.”
But Ms Waters would ‘question the validity’ of any suggestion BID favoured corporate events over community events.
