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VE and VJ Day street party fees to be waived

Katy Prickett
BBC News, Cambridgeshire
Getty Images Union Jack bunting is hung up in a street. There are trees and buildings in the background and people walking aroundGetty Images
The government announced a four-day celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day from Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May to 8 May

People hoping to host street parties to mark the 80th anniversaries of Victory in Europe (VE) and Victory over Japan (VJ) days will not have to pay a road closure fee.

Cambridgeshire County Council usually charges residents for a temporary traffic regulation order to legally close a road.

Alex Beckett, chair of its highways and transport committee, called the commemorations "a historic event for the country and the county".

"The 80th anniversary commemorations are a chance for us all to come together to honour and pay tribute to those who served in the Second World War," he said.

Getty Images An aerial black and white image showing thousands of people marking VJ Day, some climbing on the Victoria Memorial, on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace in Westminster, London, England, 15th August 1945. Getty Images
Victory over Japan brought the Second World War to an end and thousands of people took to the streets in London to celebrate

Peterborough City Council said it did not charge for "small community events - such as these or street parties - which usually have a short duration and are on residential streets".

"We also put the appropriate legal road closure orders in place and liaise with the police so they are aware of what is taking place," said a spokesperson.

VE Day was celebrated on 8 May 1945 when Prime Minister Winston Churchill made an announcement on the radio the war in Europe had ended, after Germany's surrender the day before.

However, ferocious fighting continued in the Pacific between the Allies and Japan until 15 August when the Allies celebrated VJ Day, although formal surrender documents were not signed until 2 September.

Cambridgeshire Collection A black and white image showing a parade for return of Cambridgeshire Regiment's drums held through Cambridge in 1946. Crowds are watching from the pavement as soldiers holding flags, soldiers holding five drums and behind a line of soldiers march along the street. Cambridgeshire Collection
The county's regiment marched silently through the streets of Cambridge to remember their dead in 1946, parading five regimental drums repatriated from Singapore that year

VJ Day had a particular poignancy in Cambridgeshire because men from the county's regiment were held in captivity by the Japanese for years after the fall of Singapore in 1942.

The Cambridgeshire Regiment was about 1,900 strong when the soldiers disembarked, but by 1945, 784 officers and men had died fighting or while prisoners.

The government announced a four-day celebration of the 80th anniversary of VE Day from Bank Holiday Monday, 5 May to 8 May.

National events include a flypast, a concert and a service at Westminster Abbey.

The county council said applications for VE Day celebration road closures must be made by 17 April and applications for VJ Day celebration road closures must be made by 25 July.

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