Safety advisory group (SAG)

The Lichfield District Safety Advisory Group (or SAG for short) is a forum for discussing and advising on public safety at events that take place in Lichfield District. The group aims to help organisers with the planning and management of an event, and to encourage cooperation and coordination between all the relevant agencies.

The SAG is a non-statutory body and so does not have legal powers or responsibilities, and is not empowered to approve or prohibit events from taking place.

Event organisers and others involved in the running of an event, retain the principal legal duties for ensuring public safety.

Members of the SAG include Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Lichfield District Council, Staffordshire County Council’s Highways Authority and Trading Standards, West Midlands Ambulance Service and the Security Industry Authority. 

The role of the SAG is to provide advice, based on a recognised standards of good practice. It is not the SAG's responsibility to prepare or approve risk assessments or traffic management plans etc. 

As the SAG has limited time and resources, small scale or low risk events might not be considered in detail. 

Sometimes the arrangements for an event may be judged so poor, or the potential for harm so great, that the SAG cannot support it.

This is only an advisory failure by the SAG, but may result in further investigation or enforcement by the relevant organisations, as part of their own statutory functions.