AAA White Paper The political economy of informal events, 2030 | Page 93

altogether. Events are
short-lived, and bring a
host of benefits to the
community: more often
than not, their temporary
impacts should be
tolerated as a fair price to
pay.
overlook the social,
cultural and economic
benefits of events at their
peril. Forward-thinking
administrations know
that popular, thoughtful,
well-managed events
can underline the values
of a community, build
social cohesion, attract
investment, set the tone
for regeneration and
form a statement of the
community’s aspirations.
“ There’s no more a reason
to stop an event because
of feared crime and
disorder than there is to
stop the building of a new
housing estate because it
might attract burglaries.
In each case, the issues
are simply what steps
are reasonable to prevent
the feared impact, and by
whom the costs should be
borne. ”
“ It’s only to be expected
that a mass of people
in an urban space leads
to more crime than a
family picnic in a field.
So it is wrong-headed
to prevent events or,
equally sad, overload
them with restrictions
so burdensome that
they deter them
Head of Cornerstone Barristers, on reasons to back events
Philip Kolvin QC
93
“ Cities and regions