Information about planning an event
Stroud District Safety Advisory Group (SAG)
The Stroud SAG acts as a single point of contact for organisers of large events in the district to notify the relevant regulatory bodies and obtain safety advice and information on a wide range of topics.
See our SAG webpage for more information and how to submit a SAG notification
Health and Safety
No matter how small or big your event is you should think about the safety of your event goers and event workers. For bigger events you will need to do a formal risk assessment.
Advice on running an event safely is below:
Advice on topics to consider for your event, including temporary structures, managing crowds safely, using barriers and transport, is below:
National guidance for outdoor and mobile catering is below:
The Purple Guide is a subscription online publication that can provide useful guidance for organisers of outdoor events. The link is below:
For more advice contact the Food Hygiene and Health and Safety Team on environmental.health@stroud.gov.uk
Event Management Plans
An event management plan (EMP) covers all the main safety and organisational aspects of your event.
It is best practice to have an event management plan, particularly for larger events with over 499 expected attendees. The event management plan will help you make sure that you are prepared for all eventualities and it will help your event run smoothly. It is a document that can be developed and revised over time.
The bigger the event and/or the riskier the activities the more detailed the plan should be.
Here is a template that you can use or adapt for your event
Protection Against Terrorism (Martyn's Law)
Martyn's Law is pending UK wide legislation that will place a requirement on those responsible for certain publicly accessible locations to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.
If you are having an outdoor event you need to have plans in place now as to how you can reduce the risk and what the procedure would be in the event of an attack. This could include staff training/awareness and emergency evacuation procedures.
For more information on Martyn's Law see the Home Office factsheet on Martyn’s law and the Government's web
See here for the Protect UK website which gives support to organisations to evaluate and manage the risk from terrorism
Reducing Plastic Waste
Stroud District Council encourages event organisers to look at ways to reduce plastic waste
There is a national ban which means that mobile food units cannot serve prepared food to customers in single-use polystyrene food and drinks containers or provide customers with single-use plastic cutlery or drink stirrers.
This does not apply to single use plastic plates bowls and trays which are pre-filled or filled at the point of sale to takeaway. Mobile food units can serve food in a plastic plate or bowl (but not polystyrene).
Items that are pre-packaged at the point of sale such as a ready meal or pre-packed sandwich, are excluded from the ban.
The rules are enforced by Trading Standards and they can issue a fine for breaches. Ban on single-use plastic for businesses in England | Trading Standards (gloucestershire.gov.uk)
For more information see the Government’s Guidance Single-use plastics bans and restrictions - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Here is a fact sheet with guidance on ways event organisers can reduce the use of plastics
Ask Angela
This is a scheme where females and males can ask bar staff discreetly for help
See the Ask Angela poster here
Licences
You may need to apply for a licence, permit or consent if you are going to have any of the following activities at your event
- Sale of alcohol
- Regulated entertainment - this includes live and recorded music, dancing, films, plays where it is provided to the public or is a private event being run for a profit. Background or incidental music is not considered regulated entertainment. Events that have regulated entertainment, and 499 or less expected attendees, may be covered with a temporary event notice. Larger events may need a premises licence.
- Stalls selling good to the public - there are options to apply for short term street trading consents or community and charitable event consents
- Collecting money for a charitable cause in a public area
- Raffles and prize draws - you do not need any permissions for an incidental lottery which were you sell cloakroom tickets and an event and draw the prizes the same day
For more advice and information contact the licensing team on licensing@stroud.gov.uk