Seek council support
If you're running an event in your community it can be a good idea to get your local council on side.
Involve your council at the planning stage
It may help in the planning stages to know what support your council could give you. Take the approach that, if you’re doing something active in your community, it’s beneficial for the council to support it — after all, it will be powered by people, not council budgets!
Try to have all information you know to hand, and be clear about what you want, to help speed up processes and decisions.
You could approach your local elected official to gain their support too.
Find out if there’s a Communities team
Some local councils have ‘communities’ teams and if you contact them to let them know what you’re planning, they may be able to offer you support. Sometimes there are even very small pots of funding you might be able to tap into.
Each council is different though, and involvement and protocol will vary across regions and countries. But information will be on each council’s web page — you can find your local council’s site easily, by entering postcodes with GOV.UK or see an A–Z list of local authorities and their websites.
Problem solving
If bureaucracy bites and you have problems with a local council when trying to plan your project or event, here are some approaches that may help.
Writing a letter is a great way to gain the attention of your local elected representatives, as they must respond to letters from their constituents.
You can find out who your local representatives are through the Write to Them website. We always suggest approaching the right council department first, but if they haven’t been able to help you, the next step is to see if your local councillor will be able to do anything. The key thing is to be clear about what you want, how they can be of help, and by when. If you’re feeling brave, you could always turn up at one of their surgeries — these offer the perfect opportunity to ask your questions and get advice. It’s what they’re for!
If you’ve had some teething problems with the planning of your event or need help seeking council support, you can also get in touch with us for further help or advice.
Let your council know about your event
Look out for your local council on social media, you can direct their interest to events and activities by tagging them or commenting where appropriate. By sharing your Big Lunch or other event with them, you may even get a bit of free promotion!
Do you work for a council?
If you’re a council or housing association hoping to support The Big Lunch in your area, we’ve got loads of useful information and resources to help you get started.
Close a road
If you’re thinking of holding a Big Lunch on your street and you want to close the road, it’s best to make enquiries with…
Contact local media
Contacting local newspapers, magazines, radio and newsletters is a good way of letting people in your community know about your event or project and…
How to get insurance for your Big Lunch or project
If you need insurance for your event, take a look at the following guidance to help you get started.