Northumberland County Council·Internal Audit Service
Assurance opinion and executive summary
Opinion
Limited assurance. The Authority cannot presently demonstrate that the use is licensed, exempted in writing, or inspected to a documented frequency. The operator runs a small informal field. Several controls that the Authority would require of a licensed site are absent. The residual risk sits with the Authority as well as with the operator.
The field is 0.21 hectares behind the Village Hall. It is used in summer, by arrangement, for touring tents. It is not listed in the commercial guides. Design capacity is assessed at six tents. Occupancy in 2002 was low except on the weekend of the parish Gathering, when it exceeded that figure. There is no chemical disposal point, no dedicated water point on the field, no fire-fighting equipment, and no presence after 20:00. Wet-weather closure is practised but not written down.
| Theme | Rating | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Red | No current licence; exemption not evidenced |
| Capacity / control of numbers | Amber | Design 6; Gathering weekend exceeded |
| Facilities | Red | Water and WCs only while the hall is open |
| Safety and night cover | Red | No warden after 20:00; no fire point |
| Environment and ground | Amber | Drainage poor; closure informal |
| Records, money, insurance | Red | No register; no certificate produced |