Sky lanterns and balloon releases have been banned from council-owned land in UK town Milton Keynes, following strong support for the proposal from the general public.
“We had 80 responses and 72 were in favour of a ban,” said council cabinet member Martin Gowans at a delegated decisions meeting.
Cllr Gowans also revealed that a number of people had also asked for a ban on fireworks and said that further work will be undertaken to examine the implications and effects of their use within the town.
Milton Keynes council now joins The Parks Trust and more than 50 other councils across the UK in banning the release of balloons and sky lanterns on its own land. The ban will include both releases at large charity fundraising events and those which are to commemorate a person’s life.
Maurice Barnes, the council’s landscape client services manager, in a report, told Cllr Gowans that the council would also discourage all staff and members from supporting sky lantern and mass balloon releases and would encourage others to follow suit.
The motion showed the strength of public feeling on the subject, with a number of strong and emotive comments forthcoming from the community.
