Special Lighting Protocol

Introduction

The council will light up buildings for the purpose of recognising and raising awareness of important issues and campaigns. The arrangements for lighting up buildings is set out below to ensure a fair and consistent approach

What buildings we light up

At Chorley Council we can light up:

• The Town Hall Clock Tower
• Rivington Pike Tower

Circumstances in which we will light up a building

To light up the Town Hall Clock Tower, at least one of the following criteria must be met:

• marking an event of exceptional local, national or international significance or achievement
• marking a significant anniversary or occasion for charitable, community or other non-profit making organisations based in or with a significant connection to the borough
• raising awareness of charities directly supported by the council / nominated by the current Mayor
• marking an event organised or financially supported by the council or those taking place at a council building
• marking an event not directly organised by the council but considered of significant importance or benefit to the borough
• marking events in the borough that benefit tourism or promote the local area
• promoting health campaigns linked to health priorities
• recognising sporting teams or organisations with notable achievements connected to the borough
• following directives from Central Government or Lancashire Combined County Authority.

Rivington Pike Tower will only be lit up in the following circumstance:

• marking an event of exceptional local, national or international significance or achievement. This means that lighting of the pike will not be approved to mark an event that occurs repeatedly, it is reserved for marking significant anniversaries and commemorations.

When we will not light up a building

We will not light up a building in these circumstances:

• linked to a party-political issue or issue that is politically sensitive
• contentious and could risk reputational damage to the council
• would generate a commercial advantage i.e. advertising or promoting products
• is not in keeping with the purpose and dignity of our civic buildings.

Council lighting schedule

There are existing key dates when the council will light up the Town Hall Clock Tower.

We may also consider lighting up buildings throughout the year to reflect corporate and equality commitments.

External requests to light up a building

External requests must be submitted online using our lighting up buildings request form.

We will only accept requests from established organisations and groups. Individuals will need to demonstrate that they are acting on behalf of an organisation, charity or group.

All requests will be dealt with by Chorley Council Civics Team.

Requests need to meet the criteria outlined in this protocol.

Request to light up a building

Conditions of lighting

A minimum of 2 weeks’ notice is required prior to the requested date of illumination.

We will not light buildings during the pre-election period (around 6 weeks before an election takes place).

We will limit the number of times we illuminate council buildings in any week or month so as not to dilute the impact:

• week – No more than once
• month – No more than twice

Where multiple requests are received to light up a building on the same day/week but for different campaigns, whichever request gets selected will be at the council’s discretion.

To avoid multiple requests for the same campaigns, different groups/individuals should aim to coordinate their request where they are supporting the same campaign.

Decision making

Decision making and approvals will be at the discretion of the Leader of the Council.

Arrangements for lighting up a building

Where a group or individual has requested to light Rivington Pike Tower and this has been approved, it will be their responsibility to organise this, liaising directly with the council’s selected lighting company. The council will provide details of the selected supplier.

A minimum of 2 weeks’ notice is required prior to the requested date of illumination. If you are requesting to light up Rivington Pike Tower, please consider that you will also need adequate time for us to approve and then for yourselves to make arrangements to light up.

Costs

There is no cost to light up the Town Hall Clock Tower.

There is a cost to lighting up Rivington Pike Tower. The council will cover costs where it wants to light up the Tower, but groups must cover the cost where they have requested to light the tower, and it has been approved.