Community Group Insurance

Community Group Insurance

There are tens of thousands of community groups in the UK, which collectively bring together hundreds of thousands of people to support one another, care for others, foster community cohesion and improve their local environment. However, if anyone is ever injured or their property is ever damaged at one of these community events then there is a risk that that community group could face a public liability claim, which is why it might be a good idea for groups like these to consider investing in a community group insurance policy. 

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Why would a community group need public liability insurance? 

Public liability insurance might seem like something only businesses have to worry about, but even community groups can benefit from this type of cover. 

After all, although community groups are often run as non-profits and staffed with volunteers, the nature of what these groups do means there is still a small possibility that they might face a public liability claim at some point.  

One of the main objectives for many community groups is to bring members of the public together in a public setting, whether that’s a parenting group meeting each week in a church hall, a foodbank that invites homeless people to eat together in a community centre, or an adult education group that gathers people together to improve their digital skills, enhance their financial literacy or learn to dance. If someone is injured in one of these settings, or if their equipment or belongings are stolen or damaged, it’s possible the community group might be held liable and sued for damages. If they didn’t have suitable public liability insurance in place at the time of the incident they’d have to pay for any resulting liability claims out of their own pocket. 

What types of community groups might benefit most from this type of community group insurance? 

It stands to reason that the greater the possibility of an accident occurring at a community event the higher the risk of a liability claim, which means community groups that organise higher-risk events have the most to benefit from this type of community group insurance. 

For instance, if a community group specialises in teaching circus skills like fire-eating or acrobatics to members of the public then that group will likely have a higher risk of a public liability claim than a mother and toddler group would have.  

Of course, that doesn’t mean people who organise lower-risk events shouldn’t consider public liability insurance for their community group. After all, even at a mother and toddler group if a child is injured by faulty play equipment or chokes on a piece of food the organisers gave them it’s possible the parents might still hold the community group organisers liable.  

What types of risks does public liability insurance actually protect my community group against? 

The three most common risks this type of public liability insurance policy might be able to protect your community group against are: 

• An injury to a member of the public 
• The theft of personal belongings or valuables belonging to a member of the public 
• Damage to personal belongings or valuables belonging to a member of the public 

How much does public liability insurance for a community group cost? 

The honest answer is “it depends”.  

Public liability insurance providers will take a wide range of risk factors into account when they’re calculating the premium, from the types of events your community group organises to the types of community members your group attracts, to the location of your events and the crime rate in that neighbourhood.  

The amount of coverage you require will also affect the cost of your community group liability insurance – if you opt for £10 million of liability cover that will usually cost a bit more than £1 million of coverage, for example. 

Given how much the cost of a public liability insurance policy can vary from one community group to the next, the best plan is to compare quotes from a number of different public liability insurance providers, and then go with the one that offers the best coverage at the most competitive price. 

Why would the location of my community events affect the cost of my community group insurance? 

If the location where you hold your events has a relatively high crime rate then in theory that could increase the possibility that your community group might face a public liability claim at some point, which in turn could result in more expensive public liability insurance for that community group.  

What amount of coverage do I actually need when I’m taking out community group insurance? 

The decision about how much public liability cover your community group should take out will depend on a number of different factors, including the level of coverage the venue requires you to have in place before you can hold events there, as well as the riskiness of the events you’re organising.  

For example, if your community group teaches fire-eating skills to members of the public, or organises pole-dancing classes for pensioners, then you may well need a higher level of coverage than a community group that arranges afternoon teas. You may also need specialised cover if your community group engages in any charity work.

When it comes to the location of your events, most venues will insist that community groups have either £2 million or £5 million of public liability insurance in place before they can host events there. This requirement will usually be stipulated in that venue’s terms and conditions, so it’s important to double-check this before you sign up for a community group insurance policy. 

Can I take out community group insurance for just one day? 

Yes, if your community group is a temporary organisation that is only coming together to organise a single event before disbanding again then it is possible to take out temporary public liability insurance, either for just one day or for several days. In some cases, this does work out a little cheaper than taking out an annual public liability insurance policy. 

However, if there is any possibility that your group might want to organise another event later in the year then it’s worth comparing the cost of an annual policy too, because community group insurance for a year will almost certainly be cheaper than taking out two separate community group insurance policies for two different events, and there might not be a huge difference between that annual policy and a short-term policy.  

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