Communities Secretary Eric Pickles wants to stem the flow of relentless form filling, high costs and red tape for organising summer street parties and fetes. Extortionate, inconsistent costs and paperwork for road closures, risk assessments, and temporary event notices are barriers to community events. It can often take weeks and cost thousands of pounds for councils trying to process these applications, which can deter both councils and organisers from putting on events.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said; "Summer fetes and street parties are a great British tradition that we risk losing to overbearing bureaucracy. "When it comes to putting on street parties, it's like a red tape tombola for organisers depending on which council is processing their application. "Of course we want people to be safe and sound but common sense has to prevail. People are being turned off getting involved due to a merry go round of forms, rules that differ from one council to the next, time and expense. It is time to get a grip, especially if we are to cultivate a sense of community, fix broken Britain and create the Big Society."

The full announcement and further details can be found on the CLG website.