An MP has blasted a London council after it emerged a St George’s Day parade could be cancelled. Havering Council said it cannot approve the Scouts parade in Romford on the Essex border due to “public safety concerns” after the Metropolitan Police said it was unable to provide support with temporary road closures.

Local MP, Reform UK’s Andrew Rosindell, accused the council of acting on “spurious bureaucratic reasons because they say that it’s not safe to walk along the street”. The Scouts group faces an eyewatering £9,000 bill to hire a traffic management firm to enable the parade to go ahead, according to reports. Mr Rosindell said the parade has taken place for years “without a problem”.

Speaking to GB News, he said: “The police are saying they can’t afford to police the parade. Well, surely a couple of coppers can be sent along to look after the Scouts and Cubs parading for St George’s Day.

“We send hundreds of police to police various political parades in London… The Palestinian parades, the Pride march, all these things.

“You’ve got police everywhere – but a scout parade for St George’s Day… You can’t provide just basic police cover to ensure the safety of the kids who are marching along the road for no more than 20 minutes. It’s frankly a disgrace.”

St George’s Day is traditionally marked on April 23 each year and is England’s national day.

A Havering Council spokesperson said the authority “recognises the long tradition” of the Scouts parade and its importance to the local community.

However, they said: “The Metropolitan Police have made it clear to both the Council and event organisers that, due to decreasing resources and budget constraints, they are no longer able to support parades by carrying out temporary road closures or using police vehicles to block roads, as they have done in previous years.

“The Metropolitan Police, along with the emergency services and relevant Council departments, sit on Havering’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

“The SAG reviews event plans to ensure organisers understand what is required for their event to take place safely and legally.

“Due to public safety concerns, the Council cannot endorse an event that involves participants walking in the road without an appropriate traffic management plan and a valid Traffic Management Order in place.”

The spokesperson explained the council is required to ensure public safety at such events and the parade organisers have been invited to attend a meeting to provide “full clarity” on the legal obligations and what is needed for the council to support the event.

The Met was contacted for comment.