Thousands of street parties are expected to take place on 29 April 2011 to celebrate the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.

"A street party? What a lovely idea", you think. "I'll speak to the neighbours and we can all get together and have a jolly good knees-up outside."

However, organising a street party can be a complicated and potentially risky business. If you're not careful, you could end up with a claim against you. For this reason, many local authorities are encouraging – and in some cases forcing – event organisers to take out public liability insurance.

What is public liability insurance?

It's an insurance policy that can be taken out to protect you and other event organisers against damages awarded to members of the public because of an injury or damage they suffered while attending your party.

Is insurance mandatory for a street party?

This depends on what you're planning and where you live.

By 'street party' we mean a private event funded and organised by residents only, which doesn't require external publicity or any licenses (for example for the sale of alcohol).

You'll need to contact your local council to see whether insurance is mandatory. Some are taking a far stricter approach than others and are issuing health and safety checklists to event organisers that include a ban on bunting! Others have taken a more relaxed approach and have simply issued general guidance to their residents.

If Insurance isn't mandatory, why should I incur the cost?

This is, of course, your decision. Planning a safe event is the best way of reducing the risks involved in organising a party. We'd suggest that all organisers get together and complete a 'risk assessment'.

You need to identify any likely risks concerning your event and the ways in which they can be minimised. For example:

• plastic plates and cups would pose less of a hazard than pottery and glass
• ensure that a competent adult is in charge of any barbecue and that it's never left unattended
• if you're putting up decorations, have someone hold the ladder to ensure its stability
• make sure bunting is tied securely and not left trailing on the ground

Some councils have even drafted a generic risk assessment for you to use, and examples can be found online.

However, though most parties will undoubtedly go without a hitch, accidents can happen. A trip over a speaker cable, a rickety chair gives way...the list is endless. And all can cause people injury, leaving you, as event organiser, with the threat of a potential claim.

So, even if insurance isn't actually required by your local authority, it would seem a sensible precaution, and should cost between £50 and £100, giving you peace of mind.

Check insurance covers everything you need it to

When looking at appropriate insurance, you need to ensure you read the policy very carefully to ensure it covers everything you require.

Points to consider are:

• policies often exclude injury to users on bouncy castles or other inflatables, and  the supplier's own insurance may only cover the equipment itself, not the user
• check the level of excess you'll have to fund in the event of a claim
• not all policies include the setting up and taking down of the party
• not all policies will cover damage to property not belonging to residents (including to the road or pavement, street furniture and vehicles)
• in order to be valid, some insurers require there to be a properly constituted group with written records and/or 'officers'

So please do scrutinise any application forms and policy terms for the small print' before committing to buy such insurance

Other points to remember:

• emergency vehicles will need access at all times
• if your plans involve fireworks or outside music, you'll need to talk to your local council's environmental protection department
• you should have contingency plans in place in case of accidents, medical emergencies, fire etc, and they should be covered by your risk assessment document

Now that you've planned properly and are covered by insurance in the unlikely event of an accident, you can go ahead and enjoy your party, worry free.

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