WITH cash-strapped Warrington Borough Council reviewing all areas of expenditure, a question mark remains over the future of the town’s historic Walking Day.
The council has today admitted that no decision has been made about the future of the event, scheduled for Friday, June 27th, or how it will be funded, with all areas of expenditure under review.
While the specific total cost to stage Warrington Walking Day is not publicly released as a single figure, the event involves significant logistical investment from Warrington Borough Council for traffic management, security, and infrastructure.
The primary costs are distributed across several key areas:
Road Closures & Traffic Management: The event requires extensive phased closures across the town centre and major inbound routes (e.g., Knutsford Road, Church Street, and Orford Lane) starting from 7:30 am until 1:00 pm. These closures are supported by professional traffic management teams and security personnel stationed at all closure points. is strictly enforced to ensure the safety of thousands of walkers.
Established in 1834 (with roots tracing back to 1832), Warrington Walking Day remains one of the town’s most cherished traditions.
The event was originally conceived by the Reverend Horace Powys, Rector of Warrington, as a “procession of witness”. It was held on the last Friday of the Newton Races (now Haydock Park) to provide a wholesome alternative to the “vice and iniquity” of gambling and heavy drinking associated with the race meeting.
What began as a Church of England walk soon expanded. By the mid-19th century, Catholic and non-conformist groups joined, though they initially followed separate routes.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “In the context of our budget challenges, we have to review all areas of expenditure, and consider all options to support the facilitation of non-essential services. With regard to Walking Day specifically, no decision has been made at this point about the future of the event or how it will be funded.”
The borough council is in the process of attempting to balance the books, with a funding gap of £90m over the next four years and debts of circa £1.4 billion.
Government envoys have been appointed to help the council bring down its debt following a series of high-risk investments.
2 Comments
If we can’t afford it then suspend it until we can !
Surely, council workers & police would just be diverted from other duties & would only be getting paid for a days work that they would normally be doing anyway.