Purple Guide publishers consider Primary Authority partnership to streamline festival regulation

The publishers of the UK’s Purple Guide are exploring the creation of a Primary Authority partnership for outdoor festival organisation, a move that could centralise and formalise regulatory advice for events across England.

The Events Industry Forum (EIF), which oversees the Purple Guide, is consulting on a proposal to form a statutory partnership with Brighton & Hove City Council. If approved, the arrangement would allow any festival organiser in England who subscribes to the Purple Guide to seek assured, legally recognised compliance advice from the council, regardless of where their event is held.

A Primary Authority is a government‑backed scheme that enables businesses or sectors to form a legally recognised relationship with a single local authority. That authority then provides consistent, authoritative advice on regulatory matters, which other councils must respect unless there is a strong reason to diverge. The model is widely used in sectors such as food safety, hygiene, trading standards and health and safety.

Applying the scheme to a guidance document rather than a statutory framework would be a first for the events sector. EIF has said the partnership could help reduce long‑standing inconsistencies in how local authorities interpret safety and licensing requirements for outdoor events. Organisers frequently report variations in expectations around crowd management, infrastructure, welfare provision and emergency planning.

Brighton & Hove Council has indicated that the partnership could support clearer national benchmarks and help mediate disputes where regulatory interpretations differ. The council would also play a role in feeding emerging issues back into future updates of the Purple Guide.

The proposal is currently out for consultation, with EIF inviting feedback from festival organisers, safety professionals and local authorities. If the sector supports the move, the partnership would initially cover England, with the potential to expand to devolved nations at a later stage.

A Primary Authority arrangement could mark a significant shift in how outdoor festivals navigate compliance, offering a single point of regulatory clarity in an increasingly complex operating environment.