Policy paper

Progress report: response and recovery

Updated 6 June 2025

Recommendation 42

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
42	113.67	In progress	바카라 사이트	In full

Recommendation

That the [Civil Contingencies] Act [2004] be reviewed and consideration be given to granting a designated Secretary of State the power to carry out the functions of a Category 1 responder in its place for a limited period of time.

What we committed to doing

The Cabinet Office will review statutory interventions powers, in consultation with other government departments.

This recommendation will be complete when

1. Cabinet Office has reviewed the existing statutory powers of intervention both in the Civil Contingencies Act and in other relevant legislation.  

2. Cabinet Office Ministers have taken a decision on ways to strengthen intervention when a Category 1 responder is failing to respond appropriately.

What we have done  

Cabinet Office has begun work to review the powers of intervention detailed in the Civil Contingencies Act and in other relevant legislation.

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Recommendation 43

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
43	113.68	In progress	바카라 사이트	In principle

Recommendation

Regulation 23 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005 requires a Category 1 responder to have regard when making its plans to the activities of relevant voluntary organisations. We therefore recommend that the regulation be amended to require Category 1 responders to establish and maintain partnerships with the voluntary, community and faith organisations in the areas in which they are responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies.

What we committed to doing

We acknowledge the vital role of the voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) in all aspects of resilience and are committed to building stronger relationships and collaboration with these groups. However, due to the diverse nature of the sector, we propose a rapid consultation and will confirm the outcome later in 2025. We must consider if placing a statutory duty is the best means to achieve stronger engagement and what burdens any new statutory duty might have on both emergency responders and VCFS organisations themselves, especially on those small organisations embedded in communities, like those that were so critical in supporting the Grenfell community.

This recommendation will be complete when

Following open consultation, the UK government has agreed how to improve engagement between Category 1 emergency responders and the Voluntary Community and Faith sectors (VCFS), either by changing existing regulations or through other means that are achievable for both the VCFS and emergency responders.

What we have done

Cabinet Office will undertake further stakeholder engagement and a consultation, to better understand the problem and how best to build stronger relationships and joint working between Category 1 responders and the Voluntary Community and Faith Sector to support resilience activities.

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Recommendation 44

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
44	113.69	In progress	바카라 사이트	In full

Recommendation

The current guidance on preparing for emergencies is contained in several documents, all of which are unduly long and in some respects out of date. We recommend that the guidance be revised, reduced in length and consolidated in one document which lays greater emphasis on the need for those leading the response to consider the requirements for recovery, the need to identify vulnerable people, the importance of identifying and ensuring co-operation with voluntary, community and faith groups and is consistent with the Equality Act 2010.

What we committed to doing

We will fully factor this into the outcomes of the resilience review. As a first step, we will publish the revised local responder guidance on 바카라 사이트˜Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People바카라 사이트™ in spring 2025.

This recommendation will be complete when

1. Cabinet Office has published 바카라 사이트˜Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People바카라 사이트™ on 바카라 사이트. It has published the 바카라 사이트 Concept of Operations.  

2. Cabinet Office has concluded a guidance review and set out the programme for complete refresh.

What we have done

The Cabinet Office is working to identify what guidance is required and how it can be better presented. Whilst taking this fundamental review, as the first steps in modernising critical guidance, the Cabinet Office has published: 

1. The revised Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People on 바카라 사이트 incorporating feedback and content from local responders, voluntary, charity and faith sector and representative groups. The guidance sets out the need to identify vulnerable people, cooperation with voluntary, charity and faith sector and legislative requirements, including the Equality Act 2010.  

2. An updated Central 바카라 사이트 Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (HMG CONOPs), now titled the Amber Book - Managing crises in central government, as a first step in modernising critical national guidance. This expressly recognises the need for humanitarian considerations. 

3. The Cabinet Office바카라 사이트™s National Situation Centre has developed a Risk Vulnerability Tool in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics. Launched on 28 April by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the UK Resilience Academy.  It allows users to understand how vulnerable local authorities are to specific risks by mapping real time crisis data against demographic statistics. The tool, currently available to all ministers and officials across the UK and devolved governments, is the first of its kind in government.  

4. The Cabinet Office provides the 24/7/365 ResilienceDirect web tool, which enables collaboration and communication between category 1 and 2 responders and the wider resilience community. The Service supports national and local emergency planners and responders to collaborate and securely share information and situational awareness, for crisis preparedness and emergency management including in the identification of, and provision of multi-agency support to, disproportionately impacted persons.

Recommendation 45

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
45	113.69	In progress	바카라 사이트	In full

Recommendation

That regard for humanitarian considerations be expressly recognised by making it the ninth principle of effective response and recovery.

What we committed to doing

We will fully factor it into the outcomes of the resilience review.

This recommendation will be complete when

The regard for humanitarian considerations is expressly recognised as one of the core principles of effective response and recovery. This will ensure responders consider the potential impacts on individuals before, during and after an emergency.

What we have done

Cabinet Office has started work to develop guidance that will support government departments and local emergency responders to do this. As a first step, the government바카라 사이트™s Amber Book (Central 바카라 사이트바카라 사이트™s Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery) includes guidance to ensure that humanitarian considerations are recognised in national emergency responses. The government is committed to ensuring that impacts to people in emergencies are better considered as part of national and local emergency planning.

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Recommendation 46

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
46	113.70	In progress	Local authorities	In full

Recommendation

Events demonstrated, however, that there is a need for a clearer understanding of the nature of the London Gold arrangements, in particular in situations in which a single borough is affected. We therefore recommend that the guidance on the operation of those arrangements be revised and that existing and newly appointed chief executives be given regular training to ensure they are familiar with its principles.

What we committed to doing

London바카라 사이트™s resilience structures are set out under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and its statutory guidance, Emergency Preparedness. These require one strategic pan-London multiagency partnership as well as separate 바카라 사이트˜Borough Resilience Forum바카라 사이트™ partnerships for each London borough and the City of London. 

The London Local Authorities Regional Resilience Board supports London local authorities in undertaking their resilience responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. This includes ownership of the London Gold arrangements, which the Board has been working to reform since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. 

This has included updating London Gold operational procedures, publishing updated guidance for chief executives, proactive engagement from the Regional Resilience Board to local authorities on notification of an emergency incident, and development of a training programme for all London chief executives and other senior council officers on London Gold arrangements planned for delivery in 2025. A further review of London Gold procedures is planned this year to confirm they meet this Inquiry recommendation.

This recommendation will be complete when

All guidance, protocols, and procedures, underpinning the London Local Authority Gold arrangements have been reviewed and updated to support increased familiarity with how the arrangements are applied, and in particular, situations where a single borough is affected. This is then underpinned by the delivery of a credible and continuous training programme to equip chief executives to specifically perform the role of London Local Authority Gold, and which is also available to senior council officers on the Aspiring Chief Executive Programme and existing officers who already work as Council Golds.

What we have done

All relevant documentation supporting the regional local authority response system are in the process of being reviewed by a Standardisation Board which reports to the Local Authority Regional Resilience Board. Briefings for new Chief Executives to London now include greater emphasis on the requirement for early engagement with affected local authorities and involvement in all Strategic Coordination Group Meetings when convened, regardless of scale of incident. Finally, development of a credible training programme, followed by periodic refresher training, is being progressed at pace and dates have been advertised for a first wave of two-day courses to be delivered between October 2025 and March 2026.

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Recommendation 47

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
47	113.71	In progress	바카라 사이트	In full

Recommendation

That local resilience forums adopt national standards to ensure effective training, preparation and planning for emergencies and adopt independent auditing schemes to identify deficiencies and secure compliance.

What we committed to doing

We will refine and update the National Resilience Standards for Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) to clarify expectations on local resilience forums. Further work will be undertaken to determine appropriate levels of assurance, including the development of certification and qualifications to enable local authorities and local resilience forums to assure their training provision against a National Qualifications Framework. 

We have also been building processes to better understand local resilience forums바카라 사이트™ performance, capacity and capability, following on from the introduction of local resilience forum core capacity and capability funding in 2021. We are committed to doing more together to strengthen LRFs, including through the Stronger LRF trailblazers. We have also already introduced formal reporting to better understand local resilience forums바카라 사이트™ preparedness, have a local capability assessment process in train, and plan to test a new peer review protocol for local resilience forums to work together to assess their planning, response and recovery activities, including training. This will help both government and local partnerships understand where their strengths and weaknesses are and drive improvements.

This recommendation will be complete when

1. The Cabinet Office has revised and published the National Occupational Standards and National Resilience Standards to clarify expectations.  

2. MHCLG has implemented the Stronger Local Resilience Forums (LRF) trailblazer programme at all 38 LRFs in England and completed work to agree proposals for a new peer review protocol for LRFs.  

3. MCHLG has designed and tested a proposal for a new LRF peer review protocol.

What we have done

The Cabinet Office launched the UK Resilience Academy in April 2025 to improve the consistency, quality and availability of resilience training. The National Occupational Standards have been independently reviewed and published. These set clear expectations of the knowledge and skills people require in their resilience role.   

MHCLG has selected a group of five local resilience forums in England to join the Stronger Local Resilience Forums (LRF) trailblazer programme, which will launch in spring 2025. These are Cumbria LRF, Greater Manchester LRF, London LRF, Northumbria LRF and Suffolk LRF.

MHCLG is working on proposals for a new peer review protocol for local resilience forums, which we hope to begin testing later in 2025/26.

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Recommendation 48

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
48	113.71	In progress	바카라 사이트	In principle

Recommendation

That a mechanism be introduced for independently verifying the frequency and quality of training provided by local authorities and other Category 1 responders.

What we committed to doing

There are a number of regulatory and inspectorate bodies across the range of responder organisations to support them to meet their responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act. We recognise there is more we should do to improve consistency of training and in setting clear expectations. We have therefore commissioned the independent Sector Skills Council to undertake a review of the National Occupational Standards. These new Standards will set out the knowledge and skills that people need to be competent in their resilience roles and will improve the quality and availability of training. The UK Resilience Academy (UKRA), to be launched in April 2025, will provide a training curriculum based on these standards. We will set the expectation on the type and frequency of training in the National Resilience Standards for local resilience forums mentioned in recommendation 47. 

As well as this, in respect of local authority Category 1 responders specifically, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local 바카라 사이트 (MHCLG) will work with local partners to scope a process for local authorities to report on training and development.

This recommendation will be complete when

1. The National Occupational Standards have been reviewed and published.  

2. The UK Resilience Academy has been launched in April 2025  

3. There are clear expectations on the type and frequency of training in the National Resilience Standards for local resilience forums.  

4. MHCLG has scoped a process for local authorities to report on the quality and frequency of training and development.

What we have done

The Cabinet Office launched the UK Resilience Academy in April 2025, to improve the consistency, quality and availability of resilience training. The National Occupational Standards have been independently reviewed and published. These set clear expectations of the knowledge and skills people require in their resilience role.  

MHCLG is working on proposals to scope a process for local authorities to report on the quality and frequency of training and development which we hope to test with the sector in 2025/26.

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Recommendation 49

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
49	113.73	In progress	Local authorities	In full

Recommendation

That local authorities train all their employees, including chief executives, to regard resilience as an integral part of their responsibilities.

What we committed to doing

We expect all relevant staff to be provided with the necessary training. Local authorities should be empowered to determine which of their staff should undertake training in a way that is proportionate and tailored to their local needs.  The National Occupational Standards noted in recommendation 35 will help with this determination. 

The Local 바카라 사이트 Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE) offer a wide range of training for chief executives, including some available through the Emergency Planning College. 

The UK Resilience Academy, to launch in April 2025, and the Local 바카라 사이트 Association also intend to offer a training programme on resilience prevention, preparedness and response for local authority chief executives and senior managers.

This recommendation will be complete when

MHCLG, the UK Resilience Academy (UKRA), the Local 바카라 사이트 Association (LGA) and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers (SOLACE) have piloted a resilience training offer for local authority chief executives and all relevant staff, established metrics for completion, and have set out a potential offer for all local authorities to access on training, based on learning from these pilots.

What we have done

MHCLG is working with the UKRA, the Local 바카라 사이트 Association and SOLACE to develop a proposal to provide a resilience training offer to local authority chief executives and all relevant staff. We are exploring piloting this offer via the LGA by the end of 2025/26.

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Recommendations 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55

Recommendation number	Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
50	113.74	In progress	Local authorities	In full
51	113.75	In progress	Local authorities	In full
52	113.76	In progress	Local authorities	In full
53	113.76	In progress	Local authorities	In full
54	113.77	In progress	Local authorities	In full
55	113.78	In progress	Local authorities	In full

Recommendations

50: Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) had no effective means of collecting and recording information about those who had been displaced from the tower and surrounding buildings, including those who were missing. Compiling reliable information of that kind is difficult and the challenges likely to be faced by local authority Category 1 responders will vary according to the nature of the emergency. We recommend that all local authorities devise methods of obtaining and recording information of that kind, if possible in electronic form, and practise putting them into operation under a variety of different circumstances. 

51: That all local authorities make such arrangements as are reasonably practicable for enabling them to place people in temporary accommodation at short notice and in ways that meet their personal, religious and cultural requirements. Such arrangements should, as far as possible, involve local providers of social housing.   

52: That all local authorities include in their contingency plans arrangements for providing immediate financial assistance to people affected by an emergency.   

53: That as part of their planning for emergencies local authorities give detailed consideration to the availability of key workers and the role they are expected to play so that suitable contingency arrangements can be made to ensure, as far as possible, continuity of support.   

54: That as part of their emergency planning local authorities make effective arrangements for continuing communication with those who need assistance using the most suitable technology and a range of languages appropriate to the area. 

55: That all local authorities include in their plans for responding to emergencies arrangements for providing information to the public by whatever combination of modern methods of communication are likely to be most effective for the areas for which they are responsible.

What we committed to doing

50: This responsibility will be highlighted in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities. We note that the ability and requirement to do this will be determined by the emergency, circumstances and the needs of people affected by the incident. 

51: Local authorities already have a legal obligation under the Housing Act 1996 to re-house people displaced by an emergency. This duty will be highlighted in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities.  

52: Local authorities understand their local areas and contingency plans best, but government is committed to working with local authorities and the Local 바카라 사이트 Association to understand how plans for financial support might best be integrated into local authority contingency plans and, where appropriate, help determine what kind of financial support might be suitable. 

53: MHCLG is committed to working with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and the Local 바카라 사이트 Association to ensure that keyworker social work guidance is shared with the sector and that training is signposted. 

54: Local authorities already have a legal obligation through their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. This duty will be highlighted in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities. 

55: Local authorities already have a legal obligation through their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. This duty will be highlighted in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities.

These recommendations will be complete when

50: MHCLG has identified and implemented the appropriate way to highlight key duties on local authorities within this guidance. 

51 to 55: MHCLG has identified the appropriate way to highlight this in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities.

What we have done

50: MHCLG is working with the Cabinet Office and partners to consider the best approach to highlighting this responsibility in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below). 

51: MHCLG is working with the Cabinet Office and partners to consider the best approach to highlighting the existing legal responsibilities for local housing authorities in the Housing Act 1996 to re-house people displaced by a disaster in guidance, in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below). 

52: Local authorities are best placed to understand their communities and the needs for financial assistance in an emergency. MHCLG is working with the Cabinet Office and partners to consider the best approach to highlighting emergency preparedness responsibilities in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below).  

53: MHCLG are working with the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care and other partners to consider the best approach to highlighting emergency preparedness responsibilities in guidance, in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below). 

54: Local authorities have existing duties surrounding communicating with the public during emergencies under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. MHCLG is working with the Cabinet Office and partners to consider the best approach to highlighting this responsibility in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below). 

55: MHCLG is working with the Cabinet Office and partners to consider the best approach to highlighting this responsibility in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44 (included below). 

The Cabinet Office is working to identify what guidance is required and how it can be better presented. Whilst taking this fundamental review, as the first steps in modernising critical guidance, the Cabinet Office has published: 

1. The revised Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People on 바카라 사이트 incorporating feedback and content from local responders, voluntary, charity and faith sector and representative groups. The guidance sets out the need to identify vulnerable people, cooperation with voluntary, charity and faith sector and legislative requirements, including the Equality Act 2010.  

2. An updated Central 바카라 사이트 Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (HMG CONOPs), now titled the Amber Book - Managing crises in central government, as a first step in modernising critical national guidance. This expressly recognises the need for humanitarian considerations. 

3. The Cabinet Office바카라 사이트™s National Situation Centre has developed a Risk Vulnerability Tool in collaboration with the Office for National Statistics. Launched on 28 April by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at the UK Resilience Academy.  It allows users to understand how vulnerable local authorities are to specific risks by mapping real time crisis data against demographic statistics. The tool, currently available to all ministers and officials across the UK and devolved governments, is the first of its kind in government.  

4. The Cabinet Office provides the 24/7/365 ResilienceDirect web tool, which enables collaboration and communication between category 1 and 2 responders and the wider resilience community. The Service supports national and local emergency planners and responders to collaborate and securely share information and situational awareness, for crisis preparedness and emergency management including in the identification of, and provision of multi-agency support to, disproportionately impacted persons.