Public Procession

More information

Inverclyde Council is responsible for dealing with notifications for public processions proposed to be held in the Inverclyde area.

Under current Human Rights law, everyone has the right to freedom of assembly and of association.  When considering a notification for a public procession we will take those rights into consideration but we will also look at the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Inverclyde Council’s aim is to strike a reasonable balance between the fundamental right of individuals and organisations to organise and take part in public processions along with the need to minimise disruption to the wider community by protecting the rights of all Inverclyde’s citizens to go about their business without unnecessary disturbance and interference.

Inverclyde Council staff work closely with Police Scotland, to ensure that any such events in the Inverclyde Area are organised in a safe manner and cause minimal disruption and inconvenience.

To ensure that Communities are aware of public processions, marches and parades in their area, the Licensing Section will publish details of all notifications on this section of the Council’s website.  The details are also forwarded on to a range of other organisations.

In addition, the Council will also keep an opt-in list to make sure anyone who asks for details of processions to be held in their area can receive the appropriate information to allow them to plan better and to work around any problems which could be caused by the processions.  Any interested members of the public, organisations and groups wishing to be included in the opt-in list should contact the Licensing Section.

How do I make a notification?

Your notification must be made on the public processions notification form.  The information you need to provide is as follows:-

1. Details of the person notifying the Council;
2. Chief Stewards details;
3. The name of the organisation;
4. Date, start and end time of the procession;
5. Reason for procession;
6. The proposed route;
7. The number of persons likely to take part;
8. The number of stewards;
9. The number of buses and coaches; and
10. Any other relevant information.

Please give as much notice as possible of a proposed procession.

Anyone can make representations in relation to your notification if they have concerns about the procession taking place.  Any representations must be received by us by the deadline date set by the Council.

What happens if representations are received?

If any representations are received they must be taken into consideration by us.  We consider concerns raised in relation to the effect that the public procession could have on public safety, public order, damage to property and the disruption to the life of the community when deciding whether to prohibit the holding of a procession or impose conditions on it.  You may be asked to attend a meeting to discuss any representations received.

In some cases your notification may be referred to a meeting of the General Purposes Board and an Order may be made.  The Order may prevent the public procession from taking place or relate to additional conditions being imposed such as, a change of route, time or date.

Making a representation

Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights sets out the ‘right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association’.  This means people have a right to hold marches.  However, it is not an absolute right and we can place restrictions on it if necessary.  As a result, we are letting members of the public  know about the organiser’s intention to hold the procession so that you can consider how the procession might affect you and how you might need to plan and work around it.  If you do make a representation, we may include it in papers the General Purposes Board may consider.  This means that your identity and those of any other people making a representation will become public.

We may invite those making a representation to any meeting we might have with the organiser and the police to discuss this notification.  If the procession is to go ahead (with or without conditions), we may also hold a meeting with the organiser and the police after the procession is held to go over any other issues.  We may also want to invite you to come to the General Purposes Board’s meeting.  We will write to you again to let you know if we will be inviting you to come to any of these meetings.

Do any conditions apply to my notification?

There are a number of standard conditions which the Council imposes for all public processions.  These cover matters such as the organiser’s responsibility for the safety and conduct of the participants.  It may be the case that additional conditions are applied to address concerns that have been raised in any representations that are received.

Where do I send my notification?

You can either bring your public procession notification to us in person or you can post it to the address below.

How do I contact you?

You can contact the Licensing section by post, email or in person on the contact details shown in the contacts section of this page.