Notting Hill Carnival Strategic Review - Intelligent Space

Operational Planning and Safety Group
2.9 The Carnival involves a complex network of relationships between culturally and politically
diverse parties with sometimes competing interests. All the statutory agencies involved in
contingency planning for Carnival have made it clear that they believed the event organiser to be
NHCT – and following its demise, LNHCL. In delineating roles and responsibilities, the City of
Westminster’s Special Events Group produced its own global risk management document 48 for
the Carnival in which it provided the following information:
2.9.1 Notting Hill Carnival Trust/ London Notting Hill Carnival Ltd is principally responsible
for: co-ordinating Carnival participants and contributions; provision and deployment of
route management stewards and the safe passage of the procession; liaison with
statutory authorities on all matters of public safety; leading on joint strategies and aims
for Carnival management; and raising monies, donations and grants to cover their
running costs. They are an employer under health & safety legislation and are
responsible for risk assessing the working practices, methods and areas of work for their
employees. The employees principally at risk are the stewards. To help them discharge
their duties they attend the regular OPSG meetings with the statutory authorities.
2.9.2 Local Authorities: WCC and RBK&C are principally responsible for. (a) a general duty of
care to the public for their safety. To help them discharge this they: attend regular
NHCT led safety group meetings, contribute to the information provided in the joint
authorities’ leaflets and maintain a close liaison with others who have statutory duties.
Principals in WCC are the Special Events and Emergency Planning teams; provide
cleansing facilities before and after the event to safeguard public health. Principals in
WCC are the Street Environment Managers and the cleansing contractors; and remove
street furniture at potential crush and pinch points. Principals in WCC are Highways
Maintenance. (b) A duty of care to those residents in local authority owned or managed
housing properties for their safety. Principals in WCC are the Housing Estates
Managers and the Emergency Planning Officer. (c) Granting a variety of temporary
licenses to use the public highway and enforcing the set conditions in manner, which
safeguards officers’ personal safety and that of the general public. Principal in these
duties are Environmental Health and Street Trading Enforcement officers. (d) Making a
Temporary Traffic Order and permitting vehicle access to closed streets. (e)
Contingency planning for services.
2.9.3 Metropolitan Police are principally responsible for: matters of public order (keeping the
Queen’s Peace); strategies for minimising and reducing the potential for crime;
controlling vehicle and pedestrian crowd movements in the Carnival area; and
contingency planning for London. [Note: MPS are not solely responsible for public
safety, though they recognise that their action or in action on the day will raise
questions of public safety.] To help them discharge their duties, CO11 (Public Order
Branch) have a year round presence in planning discussions. MPS have powers under
Commissioner’s Directions (CDs) and the Road Traffic Acts, which can be used on the
day to modify their operational plan. In attending the Operational & Safety Planning
Group meetings they are able to communicate the intent behind their strategies and
eliminate obvious gaps in their knowledge.
2.9.4 British Transport Police are principally responsible for matters of public safety,
minimising crime and for pedestrian and vehicle movement on Railtrack, London
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“A Safer Carnival: A Global Risk Management for Council Services”, Special Events Group, City of Westminster (August 2002)
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