Chelmsford City Council says it cannot guarantee a resumption of Parkrun on the date that national runs are due to resume.

Councils across the country are being urged to permit weekly Parkrun events to resume, but Chelmsford City Council says a Covid risk assessment is almost impossible.

Last week organisers announced delays to the planned return of the 5k event until June 26.

The Council says a risk assessment for all large events, prior to further relaxation of restrictions on June 21, is almost impossible and able to show that the risks could be controlled.

The cities Parkrun attracts almost 1,000 runners to the Central Park course.

In a letter to all councils in England, community's secretary Robert Jenrick and culture secretary Oliver Dowden said sport and physical activity were particularly important “as we recover from the pandemic”.

While acknowledging pressures that local authorities are under to consider requests for organised outdoor sports to return safely, they stressed that Parkrun is exempt from legal gathering limits and could take place with any number of participants as long as they are in line with Covid guidance.

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Councillor Stephen Robinson, leader of Chelmsford City Council, said: “Chelmsford City Council thinks that Parkrun is an excellent activity.

"But the Government insists that there needs to be a Covid risk assessment for all large events prior to Step 4 relaxation on June 21.

“Three or four of the 20 plus Parkruns within Essex have been given permission, but these are probably smaller Parkruns or operated by non-local authority land owners.

“As things currently stand, once we are at Step 4 of the Covid Roadmap, that would allow Chelmsford Central Parkrun to return without any need for a local risk assessment.

“The city council looks forward to that being possible and will work with Parkrun to bring the event back as soon as possible.”

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “ECC is working to get Parkrun back in Essex Country Parks as soon as possible, certainly to meet the aim of Parkrun’s current national target date of June 26.

“The necessary public health risk assessments will be worked on by city, borough and district Environmental Health colleagues along with local Parkrun organisers, and when we have sign-off on these, Essex County Council will be ready to welcome Parkrun back to country park sites.”