In view of the current pandemic, Government laws and guidance regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19), require duty holders to put measures in place to control the risk of the transmission of Coronavirus. This is contained in regulations that limit gatherings to no more than 30 people unless a risk assessment and adequate COVID-19 secure arrangements are put in place.
To meet these requirements, you will need to carry out a suitable COVID-secure risk assessment for your event. Please see the Health and Safety Executive webpage for guidance and information on how to do this.
You must prepare the COVID-secure risk assessment as part of your planning for your event, and then implement and manage it for the duration of your event. You must make your COVID-secure risk assessment available upon request of an authorised officer of the council. A checklist has been developed to help you cover the range of issues that you need to consider. This should also be completed and signed off as part of your application.
As a significant public safety issue of concern, you should send a copy of your risk assessment and the checklist with your application. We may review your risk assessment and give feedback. The Council will not sign off your event.
If you do not send a suitable COVID-secure risk assessment and checklist with your application or any element of the risk assessment or associated controls do not meet current Coronavirus law or guidance, your application and event will likely:
- attract objections, and/or
- be referred for review by the Director of Public Health (who may direct the closure, cessation and prevention of activities that may affect public health).
This may result in your application being refused and/or the event not being allowed to go ahead.
Should changes occur in the infection rates locally, it is possible that events that have been already agreed, will be subject to action to prevent them going ahead.
The financial and other liabilities should the event be affected, lies solely with the event organiser.