A Morris dance group in Bacup say their annual Easter procession, which dates back more than 150 years, is ‘under threat’ after a dispute with the council over traffic management.

The Britannia Coconut Dancers are set to hold their annual Easter Saturday boundary procession on April 8 but say they will no longer pay for traffic management.

The group say the responsibility for these costs lie with higher authorities, including the council and police.

Rossendale Council has defended its decision to no longer give the group funding, saying it is “not in a financial position to cover the costs”.

Gavin McNulty, secretary of the group, said: “From our point of view we think traffic management is the council and the police’s responsibility.

“In previous years the council has looked after this aspect of the procession.

“We put safety at the forefront of everything we do and have our own safety assessment and insurance, we follow procedure.

“The liability and responsibility of traffic management and public safety is what is being contested here.”

Gavin says this has been an ongoing issue for a number of years but the group has finally decided to make a stance this year.

He said: “This has been an ongoing discussion for a number of years but it is coming to more of a head now.

“Traffic management can cost anywhere from £3,000 to £5,000 each year and this may go up due to the cost of living crisis.

“If we have to keep funding this ourselves, this may eventually put the tradition at risk.

“We are trying to make a stance and fight the decision. We just don’t agree with what the authorities are saying.

“They are trying to put the responsibility onto us but we don’t believe it lies with us.”

While Gavin agrees council funding may be one reason for the lack of financial support, he claims the controversy surrounding their black face paint may also be a factor, although the council did not comment on this.

In 2020, the group ‘amicably' split from The Morris Ring Group, the founding national association of Morris dancers, after a conflict of interest surrounding the use of full-face black makeup, which made national headlines. 

The group says it uses the face paint to represent the coal dust-covered faces of the Lancashire miners who devised the dances.

Gavin said: “I suppose the situation with the Joint Morris Organisation has not helped but we’ve stood strong with our origins and traditions and we intend to stick with that.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up by members of the Bacup community, on behalf of the ‘Coconutters’, to raise funds for traffic management.

At the time of writing £450 has been raised, and Gavin said it is great to see the level of support from the community.

He said: “Some people in the community have started a GoFundMe off their own backs, in order to help keep the tradition going.

“It’s great to see how much support we are getting and that so many respect our decision to stick to our core values and what we believe in.”

Even if they cannot raise the funds for traffic management or get support from the community, Gavin said the group plan to go ahead with the day as planned.

He said: “As far we are concerned, we have not done anything wrong. We intend to turn up on the day planned and as we have done for more than 150 years.

“We have told this to the authorities.”

Rossendale Council outlined its position in 2022 in not providing funding for the Britannia Coconutters going forward.

The council has examined community activities which it financially supports in the context of ongoing budget challenges and we have to prioritise funding for a limited number of events, which include Remembrance Sunday events.

Cllr Alyson Barnes, council leader, said: “The council is in a challenging financial position and is regularly approached by community groups for funding to support their activities.

"Given the scale of requests we receive each year we simply cannot fund them all.

“The large costs associated with road closure for significant events is no longer funded by the police and the council now has to foot the bill.

“As a result, the council will not be in a financial position to cover the costs associated with road closure for events by the Britannia Coconut Dancers or other community groups.

“Our expectation from now onwards will be that the Coconutters fund the full costs of their own activities, as we expect of other Rossendale community groups.

“Our Communities Team are happy to offer the Coconutters practical help and advice in terms of future fund raising, as it currently does to other community groups.”