The organisation of an event is a considerable responsibility. If things go wrong organisers may be held responsible under civil, common or criminal law, particularly if it's found there is something wrong with the planning or control of the event.
Local Safety Advisory Groups (SAG) have been formed nationally as a result of some very serious incidents at several sporting events, the most prominent of these was the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
Although formed primarily to assist in preventing a re-occurrence of the Hillsborough disaster the functions and principles of a Safety Advisory Group are applicable to any type of event not just those that involve sport, and are equally applicable to events both large and small, all of which are considered on their individual circumstances.
Local Safety Advisory Groups are generally made up of representatives from the following organisations;
- Local Authority
- Police
- Ambulance Service
- Fire service
In addition to these, the group may also include representatives from organisations such as the RNLI, Coastguard service, the Military or Transport operators.
Some of these representatives will be working for services that have a statutory duty to regulate certain aspects of the event, for example licensing.
The purpose of the Local Safety Advisory Group is to provide a one-stop shop for organisers to get guidance on running their events safely.
It is not the role of the Local Safety Advisory Group to assist in the planning of the event or to accept responsibility for the event. These remain the responsibility of the organiser.
In the main the members of the group will make comments or observations about your event. In some circumstances those members with statutory responsibility for aspects of your event may act on that responsibility.
All comments and observations are always advisory however they are made by professionals in the interests of public safety and should not be dismissed lightly.
If you are looking to host an event on Council land please visit our Events page.
If you are looking to hold an event outside of Council Land - please contact licensing@swdevon.gov.uk.