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SERVICE CHANGES:

Please be aware there are some refuse collection changes over the Christmas and New Year period - check if you are affected at www.boston.gov.uk/ChristmasCollections

The Borough of Boston's Safety Advisory Group (SAG)

Safety Advisory Groups (SAG) came about as a result of the findings into the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster and are now recognised as a fundamental core planning forum for safety planning at public events. 

SAGs are a group of professionals from the statutory agencies whose role is to provide competent, and consistent, advice on event safety to event organisers and venues. Additionally a SAG will liaise with event organisers and ensure that any contingency plans made by the organiser work in conjunction with emergency plans for major incidents prepared by the statutory agencies. Statutory agencies will also use the information from event organisers to ensure that any plans in place to deal with emergencies or major incidents are appropriate for the additional number of visitors that a particular event may bring to an area.

Whilst contacting a SAG is not a legal requirement, it is seen as good practice within the UK. 

The Group does not have legal powers and does not approve or ban events, however, many of the agencies who sit on SAGs may have the legal power to prevent unsafe practices. In addition, if an incident were to occur at an event or venue, then the advice given by the SAG would be disclosed to any criminal investigation or inquiry.

In Lincolnshire SAGs and are usually chaired by the District/Borough Councils. They offer a consistent approach to event safety and provide free advice, guidance and up to date information about legislation and good practice, as well as ensuring that plans to deal with emergencies at events dovetail with those already in place within the statutory agencies. 

For further information relating to SAGs, please see the 'The UK Good Practice Guide to Working in Safety Advisory Groups' authored by the Emergency Planning College.

The group is partnered with South Holland District Council for resilience purposes.

The role of SAG is completely separate from the operational management of the event.  It remains the event organiser and land owners responsibility for the health and safety of all those involved with the event inc. stewards, volunteers, stall holders, visitors and spectators.

 

Event Notification Form

The preferred method of contact is by completing either of the Borough of Boston and District of South Holland Event Notification Form 2024 (Word doc) [38KB]  .Once complete, please email it to shdcsag@sholland.gov.uk or post it to:

The Borough of Boston & District of South Hollands Safety Advisory Group c/o The Food, Health and Safety Team
Public Protection
South Holland District Council
Priory Road
Spalding
PE11 2XE

When completing the form please ensure you include as many details as possible, even if it is an 'idea', this allows the members to understand your proposal and provide any necessary advice and help, especially in relation to whether licences are required or road closures as these are time dependent.

Once the completed form has been received it will be forwarded to all members asking for any comments or questions, this process takes approximately two weeks, dependent on work patterns of the members. You will be contacted after this period with any feedback provided or questions asked.  You will also be informed what the next stages for the Event is i.e. whether any further paperwork such as an Event Management Plan, risk assessments, or attendance at a meeting is requested.

To help you in the Event Planning process the Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership have produced the following Organisers Check List, which outline the key tasks Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership Event Organisers Check List 2024 (PDF) [182KB]. 

 

Event management plan and risk assessments

Large and major events should be backed up by an Event Management Plan which covers all the safety and organisational aspects of the event.  It should be produced in conjunction with your risk assessment - the risks you identify should inform your decisions about the way the event will be managed. As a rule of thumb the bigger the event and/or riskier the activities, the more detailed the plan should be.

The Event Management should cover and detail the following points as a minimum:

To help you in producing an Event Management Plan The Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership (LESP) team at Lincolnshire County Council has produced Event Management Plan and Risk assessment Templates and an Event Organisers Handbook which can be found via the following link  Lincolnshire Event Safety Partnership (LESP) website(opens new window) (opens new tab).

 

SAG members

Core members of the group include:

If you wish to discuss a specific topic it is recommended that you contact the member that direct via email. 

The core members are committed to aid the Group in supporting event organisers to stage safe, sustainable and successful events. Sometimes it is necessary for the group to retain specialist advice to help the organiser, this may involve the following:

  • NHS / Public Health Service
  • Voluntary First Aid Services
  • The Land Owner where the event is taking place
  • Representatives from BBC Events Team and Health and Safety Team when the event is on SHDC Land.

 

Contact SAG 

It is strongly recommended that organisers contact the group at the initial stages of the proposed event, this can save time and money for them in the long run by ensuring the correct advice is received, this may include what licences are required or if road closures are needed. Anyone may contact SAG for advice, particularly those who may be:

  • new event organisers or venues,
  • an event which causes concerns to any of the SAG members and who have statutory responsibilities,
  • any high profile event that takes place in the district,
  • group members or event organisers who make requests to be seen by SAG,
  • events of an unusual nature or significant or unusual level of risk,
  • events with high attendance,
  • events where there has been a previous incident or issue.

The guiding principle for inviting events to a SAG meeting for is those events that present a significant risk to public safety, whether this is in terms of numbers of people attending or the nature of the event and / or a challenge of the environment.  

 

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