'Why was market not cancelled sooner?' Questions asked over safety threat in high winds at Banbury Victorian Market

Malcolm Roberts wrote to the Banbury Guardian to ask why the event was not cancelled sooner with early forecasts of dangerous gale force winds. Banbury Town Council, Cherwell District Council and Banbury BID have all said the decision rested with organisers LSD Promotions.

Mr Roberts said: “How has LSD Promotions been allowed to proceed with the Banbury Victorian Market this weekend? Both Banbury Town Council and the operator must be held accountable for their blatant disregard for health and safety.

“On Friday, the operator canceled all their markets scheduled for the weekend – except for Banbury. Yet, despite forecasts of severe winds, they went ahead. Most markets across the country were canceled on Friday in light of the weather. The state of the town this morning (Sunday) speaks volumes about the consequences of this reckless decision.

“Anyone who thought this event could withstand the predicted conditions should face serious consequences. The photos of the damage clearly show how easily people or property could have been harmed – all for financial gain,” he said.

“Large events like Hyde Park in London cancelled today’s event yesterday afternoon (Saturday)! This situation is deeply concerning and urgent questions must be raised about the organisers’ decision-making and priorities and the town councils responsibilities in allowing this to proceed.

“The storm over the weekend, and the resulting devastation on Saturday night in particular, was both shocking and – to those it directly affected across the country – upsetting.”

The newsdesk has approached LSD Promotions which has not yet responded. However it is understood Banbury BID is the weekend’s entertainments organiser, not contracted with LSD which is a market provider. It’s also understood that the markets it cancelled on Friday were regular weekly markets, not ‘event’ markets such as the Victorian Market.

Banbury Town Council cancelled the Christmas Lights Switch-On first thing on Sunday morning.

Banbury Town Council said: “While Banbury Town Council is responsible for the Christmas Lights Switch-On, it is not involved with the organisation of the Victorian Christmas Market.

"As per our events calendars and posters, the Victorian Christmas Market is delivered through a partnership between Cherwell District Council, Banbury BID and LSD Productions. Our event meanwhile utilises land directly outside Town Hall, which is leased from Oxfordshire County Council. Because of this difference, we would refrain from speaking on behalf of any of the organisations involved in the Victorian Christmas Market.

“The Christmas Lights Switch-On is an entirely separate event and as such there was no ‘financial gain’ to be had from the Victorian Christmas Market for Banbury Town Council. Meanwhile, while we did end up having to cancel our own event, this decision was made with constant communication with our traders and stallholders to ensure that they were kept in the loop and their personal safety – as well as that of their equipment – was kept a top priority.

"We didn’t want to cancel prematurely and disappoint members of the public or the local businesses who rely on the increased footfall during council events.

“We appreciate that the recent weather was extremely intense. The situation was monitored closely throughout the week and we believed that – while the storm would be intense on Saturday night – the weather would calm on Sunday, with a high chance of rain but a considerable drop in wind speed,” the council said.

"When this decrease in intensity not only failed to materialise but conditions in fact showed signs of worsening, the decision was made to cancel the event before it began.

"The public was made aware and discouraged from entering the town centre and traders working directly with Banbury Town Council were aided in their efforts to pack up and vacate the area before the weather got even more intense later in the afternoon.

“We would also stress that communication between Banbury Town Council, Banbury BID and Cherwell District Council was kept open in the run-up to both events, and the possibility of shutting down the Victorian Christmas Market was discussed.

"However, organisers of that event had decided to continue to run it while keeping a close eye on the changing conditions. The Council made a final assessment of the situation at 8am on Sunday morning with the decision to cancel the Christmas Lights Switch-On finalised by 08:30am.

“There were – and continue to be – calls to postpone or reschedule the Banbury Christmas Lights Switch-On, but the event simply wasn’t one that could be delayed by a week or two due to its nature. Traders, performers, guests of honour, and security services all have extremely busy schedules at this time of year, and the event would not have been able to go ahead at a later date without major cuts to the entertainment and services on offer, with little-to-no chance of replacing them at such short notice. Therefore, the only choice before us was whether or not to continue with the switch-on event, or to cancel it altogether.

“We look forward to applying what we have learned from all of this year’s events to an even bigger and better line-up of Banbury Town Council events next year.”

Cherwell District Council said: “The Victorian Market is not organised by Cherwell District Council. We lease some of our land in Market Place to allow the Victorian Market to take place. LSD Promotions Ltd and Banbury BID are the event organisers and it was a decision for those two organisations whether or not to proceed.

“We note that LSD are very experienced market operators and the Victorian Market was successful and very well received in 2022 and 2023.”