Holding events in our parks

Safety Advisory Group (SAG)

Runnymede's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) advises on safety aspects for public events that are planned to take place. A SAG is a collective of agencies that have a function or interest in public safety that come together to assess plans for events where there might be issues for public safety.  

A SAG meeting is not a Council meeting, it is a multiagency partnership meeting facilitated by the Council. 

The SAG is made up of representatives from

  • Runnymede Borough Council
  • South East Coast Ambulance Service
  • Surrey County Council
  • Surrey Fire and Rescue Service
  • Surrey Police

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the event in advance to help event organisers consider all aspects of safety planning to ensure that the event runs safely. The SAG seeks to ensure that event organisers have planned for emergencies that might occur and that this is reflected in their safety documentation.

What sort of events does the Safety Advisory Group consider?

In general, large scale public events held in our parks or open spaces are the main concern,  smaller events may be contacted by the SAG, depending on the type of event.

Events considered by the SAG would depend on the level of risk and could include

  • agricultural shows
  • fetes and village fayres
  • fun fairs
  • marathons or road races
  • open air music festivals or concerts
  • processions
  • sporting events
  • trade shows

Essential safety documents the SAG would expect to see include:

  • Event management plan (please ensure that this describes how you will ensure access for the emergency services)
  • Health and safety risk assessment
  • Fire risk assessment
  • First aid/medical plan
  • Site plan
  • Procedure for lost and found children and vulnerable persons
  • Traffic management plan
  • any other relevant documents, e.g.
    • Crowd management plan
    • Security plan
    • Water safety plan

The documents should be submitted to SAG no less than four weeks before the date of the SAG meeting where the event is to be discussed, using the email address sag@runnymede.gov.uk

All event plans will be shared with SAG members. The SAG privacy notice can be found on our website.

Guidance on how to prepare these documents can be found on our safety documentation - recording your plans.

What the SAG does not do

  • organise events
  • approve or refuse events - the SAG’s role is to advise event organisers during the event-planning process and provide responses to consultations, detailing any recommendations, advice, comments and any specific conditions that may be required

Please note the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) acts in an advisory capacity only. The role of the SAG is to provide guidance and advice to event organisers to assist with planning and managing events safely.

Responsibility for the safe and lawful running of the event rests at all times with the event organiser and/or landowner, who must ensure compliance with all relevant legislation, guidance and licence conditions. Any advice given by the SAG does not remove or reduce these responsibilities.

The SAG has no legal powers and is not responsible for approving or authorising events, nor for prohibiting events from taking place. However, where significant concerns are identified, individual organisations represented at the SAG may take action in accordance with their own statutory powers and responsibilities, separate from the SAG process.