By the Book

Jim Winship, Secretary of The Events Industry Forum, explores the need for flexibility and understanding when safeguarding events.

some time to get approval through the House of Commons and House of Lords.

While event organisers have a responsibility to safeguard the people attending their events as best they can, it is inappropriate to expect them to comply with laws that do not yet exist and, ultimately, may well not apply to some types of outdoor event.

With many local authority budgets under pressure, there is growing concern that some will cull their event teams and lose the knowledge and experience they have, leading to an even more cautious approach to sanctioning events in some areas and an even less consistent approach to them, with requirements – such as those quoting ‘Martyn’s Law’ –being used to make life more difficult for event organisers. The shame of the situation is that local