Daily Mail 22nd August 2008
War veterans who had to abandon plans for a parade after a lack of official support are furious that councillors gave their backing to other marches.
Councillors in Doncaster were involved in a gay pride march at the weekend. And dignitaries were the focal point of the annual civic parade.
But when the Royal British Legion approached officials, they were told their event could not be staged because of a 'lack of amenities'.
On and off: Kate Medland (top) entertains at the gay pride event in Doncaster but the Royal British Legion members were told they cannot hold a march because of 'lack of amenities'
Last year, about 3,000 former and current servicemen and women marched through the town centre on its inaugural Veterans' Day celebration.
Organisers never expected that staging a repeat parade would cause problems. But they said they were given a number of reasons why the march could not go ahead, including problems policing it.
Ken Wood, 46, a Coldstream Guards gunner who served in the Gulf War and is the district secretary of the Royal British Legion, said: 'One of our Legion members spoke to an official at the civic offices who told him we couldn't have a parade this year because the council did not have the amenities.
'I rang the official and she effectively told me the police couldn't afford the staff to block off the roads. We just wanted to parade our standards and colours.
'The council do not seem to care about the achievements of servicemen and women. It supported both Doncaster Pride and the mayor's civic parade.
'The council and the police appear to be passing the buck between themselves. All I can say is that our parade will not be going ahead. Our members are fuming.'
Veterans' Day was introduced by the Government on June 27, 2006, to celebrate the contribution of ex-servicemen and women. But events can be held throughout the year.
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council initially told the veterans that police would provide officers only for Remembrance Sunday, the St George's Day parade and the civic parade.
Pride parade goes ahead: But march for ex-servicemen and women is cancelled
But yesterday, the council and the police issued a joint statement saying they had not received an official request to stage the Veterans' Day parade.
Then the council said: 'It is not a matter of finance or the council not wanting to do it. The police look into the number of parades being held and give the go-ahead on a case-by-case basis. We are quite happy to hold the veterans' parade provided the police are happy.'
Second World War veteran Legay Shipley, 87, from Dunscroft, Doncaster, said: 'The people who are elected have a responsibility to recognise what people went through.
'I think they should go and look at the graves of some of the war dead and think about their decision.'
Diane Dernie is the mother of severely injured paratrooper 23- year-old Ben Parkinson, of Leeds, who lost both legs and suffered brain damage serving in southern Afghanistan.
She battled for improved compensation for her son, helped by Daily Mail readers.
She said of the abandoned veterans' parade: 'It is a terrible shame. We've seen in the past that people in general have been very supportive of the Armed Forces. Ben would have been very keen to take part.'
When the gay pride event was held in Doncaster, several thousand marched through the town. Mayor Martin Winter and other councillors joined in.
The organising committee held discussions with South Yorkshire Police and Doncaster Council in planning the event.
Gay members of the police also took part in the 'walk of unity'. The event's official website listed the police force and the Home Office as being sponsors of the day.
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