Dad's Army town council says "we're all doomed"

Thetford town council voted last month to spend more than £1,500 on insurance.

Nothing unusual about that statement, you would think.

But the cover is against a terrorist attack on one of its events.

Now I do not have any insight into the UK security services' risk assessment of the Norfolk town being targeted but I doubt the threat is very high.

Currently, if there is a terrorist incident in the town the government would not pay to repair the buildings or compensate families affected.

With the insurance, the risk of a terrorist threat is calculated and cover would be provided. An undisclosed company quoted the council a cost of £1,558.26 to cover the £12m in assets including various medieval buildings owned by the council.

Town clerk Tina Cunnell said the insurance is needed due to the amount of large-scale events.

She said: "As a town we have some large events and if we had a terror incident the government would not give any money to help with repairs.

"The financial committee agreed that they believed it would be good. It was a majority vote to take on the additional insurance."

One Thetford resident summed it up nicely: “There’s more chance of being kicked to death by butterflies.”
PS - my reader may wonder about the Dad's Army reference. Well, the iconic 1970s TV programme was filmed in the town and surrounding countryside. There's a bronze of Capt. Mainwaring sitting on a bench in the town (right) and a Dad's Army Museum at nearby Bressingham.