Road closure fee is waived for Queen's Diamond Jubilee

Street parties to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee next year can be held free of charge, many councils revealed today.

Celebrations to mark the Queen's 60th anniversary on the throne will take place across the country next June.

Organisers must seek permission to officially close roads and could be landed with a bill of hundreds, but plans are in place to waive fees to try to recreate the jubilant scenes that were witnessed across the whole region at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's April wedding .

The Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated from June 2-5, with the late May bank holiday moved to June 4, and workers given an extra day off to mark the occasion on June 5.

Dudley Council, Wolverhampton City Council and Staffordshire County Council have announced there will be no charge for anyone wanting to close their street and hold a party.

However, Sandwell and Walsall Council both revealed they have yet to make a decision about it.

Dudley Council normally charges a £500 road closure fee but Councillor Patrick Harley, cabinet member for transportation, said: "We have taken the decision to waive the normal chargeable fees for people organising street parties for next year's Queen's Diamond Jubilee."

Paul Brown, spokesman for Wolverhampton City Council, said: "The current policy is not to charge fees for street parties for the Queen's Jubilee."