For the second time running, environmental health officers notched up 100% in an audit of the council’s sports ground safety function.
The local authority is responsible for issuing safety certificates for designated stadiums and regulated stands over a certain capacity.
These include Molineux, which has a capacity of 31,818, as well as smaller grounds at Monmore Green and Wolverhampton Racecourse.
Environmental health officers work closely with the grounds to provide specialist advice, undertake regular inspections, and ultimately issue the safety certificates.
An audit of the work of the council was carried out by the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA) and looked specifically at the safety programme the council undertakes with Molineux.
The council scored 45 out of 45 for the criteria set by the SGSA. A summary of the audit highlighted that:
• the performance of the council is consistently high, showing a commitment to public safety
• safety and security at events feature highly and the council and SGSA, should take comfort in the fact the local authority is continuing to maintain high standards
• lead officers have experience of risk, safety and enforcement
• lead officers have direct access to building and structural specialists within the council, showing a robust and all-encompassing knowledge and skill set
No further recommendations were made by the inspector and the audit will continue to be carried out on a biennial basis.
Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for our environmental health team and highlights the council’s strong commitment to sports ground safety.
“I would like to thank all staff involved for their hard work and dedication which has led to this excellent result and such positive feedback from the assessor.
“The safety and wellbeing of spectators will always be our foremost priority, and our officers continue to work closely with sports grounds to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all.”
