Open consultation

Consultation Information (HTML)

Published 8 July 2025

1. Summary

The government is consulting on proposals to strengthen the requirement for Category 1 responders, as set out in the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), ^{[footnote 1]} to establish and maintain partnerships with voluntary, community and faith organisations in the areas in which the responder is responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies

This consultation closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday 16 September 2025

1.1 To

The government invites responses to this consultation from Category 1 or 2 emergency responders, and any voluntary, community or faith-based organisation.

1.2 Duration

This consultation closes at 11:59pm on Tuesday 16 September 2025

1.3 How to respond

To respond to this call for evidence please use the online survey system: Consultation Survey Link In exceptional circumstances only, where you are unable to use the online system, please contact partnershipworking@cabinetoffice.gov.uk to request a Word version of this template. When complete, it should be returned by email to this same address as a word document. PDFs will not be accepted.

All responses must be received by the department before the closing date, otherwise they will not be considered. Postal submissions will not be considered.

We recommend that individual organisations provide a single consolidated response.

1.4 Enquiries to

Enquiries for this consultation can be sent to: partnershipworking@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

1.5 Response

The government will publish a response to this consultation on GOV.UK within 12 weeks of its closing. If, for any reason, we are unable to respond to the consultation within 12 weeks, we will provide an explanation at the consultation page on GOV.UK about why this is not possible.

2. Introduction

The tragedy at Grenfell Tower and other emergencies have emphasised the vital role of voluntary, community and faith-based (VCF) organisations in providing support, coordination, and care for those affected.

There are good examples of VCF representatives working closely with national and local emergency responders to help their communities in relation to all aspects of resilience. VCF organisations can often have specialist training or skills that are needed in an emergency.

Other VCF organisations contribute to the overall wellbeing of their community, have strong existing relationships and understand their needs. The UK government is committed to ensuring that resilience is inclusive and reflects the diverse needs of communities. We recognise the important role of VCF organisations in enhancing community preparedness and response for emergencies. We are committed to building stronger relationships and collaboration with these groups.

3. What is a category 1 responder?

Part 1 of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), its supporting Regulations, and statutory guidance ‘Emergency preparedness’, establish a clear set of roles and responsibilities for those involved in emergency preparation and response at the local level. The Act divides local responders into 2 categories, imposing a different set of duties on each.

Those in Category 1 are organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies (the emergency services, local authorities, environmental authorities, NHS bodies, for example). Category 1 responders are subject to the full set of civil protection duties. They are required to:

• assess the risk of emergencies occurring and use this to inform contingency planning;
• put in place emergency plans;
• put in place business continuity management arrangements;
• put in place arrangements to make information available to the public about civil protection matters and maintain arrangements to warn, inform and advise the public in the event of an emergency;
• share information with other local responders to enhance co-ordination;
• co-operate with other local responders to enhance co-ordination and efficiency; and,
• provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations about business continuity management (local authorities only).

Category 2 organisations (the Health and Safety Executive, transport and utility companies, for example) are ‘co-operating bodies’. They are less likely to be involved in the heart of planning work, but will be heavily involved in incidents that affect their own sector. Category 2 responders have a lesser set of duties - co-operating and sharing relevant information with other Category 1 and 2 responders.

4. Reason for consulting

This consultation seeks views about suggested changes to Regulation 23 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005.^{[footnote 2]} The regulation requires general Category 1 responders, under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), to have regard to the activities of relevant voluntary organisations when preparing for and responding to emergencies.

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommended strengthening partnership working requirements between general Category 1 responders and VCF organisations.^{[footnote 3]} The requirement would be implemented by amending the regulation to require general Category 1 responders to establish and maintain partnerships with voluntary, community and faith organisations in the areas in which the emergency responders are responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies.

In considering this recommendation, it is essential for the government to balance the benefits of structured collaboration with an understanding of the ability and resources of both statutory emergency responders and VCF organisations. The voluntary and community sector is diverse, ranging from large, established organisations to smaller, localised groups, each of which contributes uniquely to community building and resilience.

This consultation will gather views on whether amending an existing statutory duty is an effective and proportionate means to strengthen engagement, what the challenges and opportunities are, and whether there are alternative ways to achieve improved partnership working. We want to better understand the potential effects of any changes to regulations. The outcome of this consultation will help inform our approach to support more inclusive and collaborative working.

5. Geographic extent of the consultation

This consultation is led by the Cabinet Office in the UK government, in response to a recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Regulation 23 applies to general Category 1 responders. Most of these organisations are England-based, although some of these organisations operate UK-wide or in the other Parts of the UK.

The UK government aims to collect a range of feedback. Therefore, responses are welcome from organisations across the entire UK, although any future changes to Regulation 23 of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005 may be limited to England.

6. Implementing the current regulation

Statutory guidance^{[footnote 4]} expands on the current scope of the regulation and its implementation by general Category 1 responders. This is further supported by non-statutory guidance^{[footnote 5]} that helps emergency planners ensure communities are central to emergency planning, response and recovery.

In practice, a voluntary organisation is considered to carry out activities which are relevant in an emergency, if those activities are for the purpose of (a) preventing an emergency; (b) reducing, controlling or mitigating the effects of an emergency; or (c) taking other action in connection with an emergency. It is immaterial if the voluntary organisation also carries out activities for other purposes.

7. Who should complete the consultation?

The consultation is seeking responses from category 1 or 2 responders, and voluntary, community or faith organisations. Although the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation is focused on general Category 1 responders, responses from any categorised responder under the Civil Contingencies Act are encouraged. This acknowledges the collaborative, multi-agency environment in which emergency planning and response takes place.

We welcome responses from a range of civil society organisations including, but not limited to, those involved in: Community support and mutual aid; Culture and recreation; Development; Disability advocacy and representation; Education; Emergency planning and response; Environment; Grant-making; Health; International; Law and advocacy; Local infrastructure organisations or local membership body; National membership bodies; Religion; Research; Social services; Uniformed and leadership youth programmes; Village halls.

8. New Burdens Doctrine

We recognise that any future proposed changes may give rise to new burdens on local authorities. The Cabinet Office is engaging the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and is committed to fully assessing any such burdens in line with the New Burdens Doctrine.

9. How we will use your data

The Privacy Notice sets out how we will use your data. We might use your data where provided to contact you to:

• discuss your response;
• invite you to focus groups or discussions;
• make you aware if the consultation has to be reissued;
• make you aware when the response has been published.

10. Consultation

Please note that when completing the online survey, respondents will see questions tailored to their organisation’s engagement with either categorised responders or voluntary, community and faith organisations.

For example, in this document, the question is phrased:

Thinking about your current partnership working. Have there been any occasions where a lack of engagement has resulted in a failure or significant delay in your organisation’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency situation?

A categorised responder answering this question on the online survey will see:

Thinking about your current partnership working. Have there been any occasions where a lack of engagement with voluntary, community or faith organisations has resulted in a failure or significant delay in your organisation’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency situation?

A voluntary, community, faith or any other organisation will see:

Thinking about your current partnership working. Have there been any occasions where a lack of engagement with a categorised responder has resulted in a failure or significant delay in your organisation’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency situation?

This applies throughout.

11. Strengthening Partnerships

11.1 Completing the questionnaire

This page contains important information that will help you in completing the survey questions. Answer all questions by selecting the relevant option(s). You must provide a response for every question. Options are available to indicate a question is not applicable or the answer is unknown to you. Some questions allow for short written answers (under 50 words).

11.2 About the consultation questions

The questionnaire is divided into two sections. The questions ask respondents to think about their current partnership engagement and the potential future implications of stronger requirements. This will help us assess current ways of working and anticipated organisations challenges in meeting the proposed strengthened duty.

Section One aims to understand how things are right now.

• It focuses on the current state of partnership working, exploring the existing barriers, resources, and capacity for engaging with other organisations in emergency preparedness and response.
• Respondents should focus on current experiences with partnership working, including the level of resource, personnel and time commitment needed to undertake engagement.

Section Two aims to understand what might happen if the regulation changes.

• It focuses on the implications of a potential amendment to the statutory requirement for engagement, exploring perceived future challenges and how organisations anticipate a strengthened statutory duty could affect their resource, time, personnel, and capacity to undertake engagement.
• Respondents should think about how the proposed changes might affect their organisation.

Please answer both sections, this will help provide a comparison of the existing with potential changes.

11.3 What does ‘preparing for and responding to emergencies’ mean in practice?

The consultation asks you to think about a future where there is a strengthened requirement for general category 1 responders to establish and maintain partnerships with the voluntary, community and faith organisations in the areas in which they (the emergency responder) are responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies.

For voluntary, community and faith organisations, the Emergency Preparedness guidance (chapter 14) and the Community Resilience Development Framework provide an overview of the types of partnership activities that organisations might already be involved in to support local emergency responders to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Examples of activity could include:

• raising awareness of local risks,
• encouraging people to prepare for emergencies,
• promoting greater cohesion and building relationships across social groups,
• taking part in response and recovery training and exercising,
• supporting during and after an emergency by providing information, physical and emotional support, and
• volunteering or coordinating other volunteers.

The existing Regulations define voluntary organisations as relevant if they undertake activities aimed at emergency prevention, reduction, control or mitigation of the effects of emergencies, or any other action related to emergencies. This is a broad definition that will capture a range of charities and other voluntary organisations.

However, few voluntary organisations are established for the sole purpose of preparing for or responding to emergencies. A wide range of organisations would need to be factored into local civil protection arrangements, where they may have a contribution to make or a role to play in planning for, responding to, or recovering from, an emergency. This includes understanding the broad range of capabilities that organisations within the emergency responder’s geographic area have to offer. For example, the Grenfell Tower Inquiry highlighted the valuable role of voluntary, community and faith organisations and the trusted relationships that these organisations have within their community.

1. I have read the information provided about completing the survey.

Yes:

11.4 Respondent details

This section is required for anyone responding to this consultation. The questions are intended to gather some basic personal information about the respondent and their organisation. Please refer to the Privacy Notice at the consultation website for more information about how your personal data will be handled.

2. Name of the person completing this survey (main point of contact for the organisation’s response)

3. Email address for the person completing this survey (this can be an individual’s email address or a multiuser)

11.5 3. Your organisation

4. In what capacity are you responding?

• As a representative of a Category 1 or 2 organisation, as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), involved in emergency preparedness, response or recovery
• As a representative of a voluntary, charitable, community or faith-based organisation
• Other (please specify):

11.6 4. Your organisation

5. Please provide the name of the organisation you are responding on behalf of

6. How many paid employees are there in your organisation?

(Voluntary, Community and Faith / other organisations only)

• 0 to 9 employees
• 10 to 49 employees
• 50 to 249 employees
• 250 or more employees

7. How many volunteers are there in your organisation?

(Voluntary, Community and Faith / other organisations only)

• 0 to 9 volunteers
• 10 to 49 volunteers
• 50 to 249 volunteers
• 250 or more volunteers

8. What is the annual income band for your organisation?

(Voluntary, Community and Faith / other organisations only)

• Less than £10,000
• £10,000 to £100,000
• £100,000 to £1 million
• £1 million to £10 million
• £10 million to £100 million
• More than £100 million

9. What is the main purpose of your organisation? Select one only (VCF / other organisations only)

• Community support and mutual aid
• Culture and recreation
• Development
• Disability advocacy and representation
• Education
• Emergency planning and response
• Environment
• Grant-making
• Health
• International
• Law and advocacy
• Local infrastructure organisations or local membership body
• National membership body
• Religion, belief or faith
• Research
• Social services
• Transport
• Uniformed and leadership youth programmes
• Village halls
• Other (please specify):

10. We would like to know more about the reach of your organisation. Where does your organisation primarily operate?

Select one answer

• UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
• Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales)
• England only
• Scotland only
• Wales only
• Northern Ireland only

11.7 5. Section one: current partnership working

Establishing effective partnerships between organisations can positively impact the overall resilience of communities during crises. These questions aim to understand the current partnership working between general Category 1 responders (those organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies: the emergency services, local authorities, NHS bodies, for example) and voluntary, community and faith organisations, and any barriers that prevent effective engagement.

11. Thinking about your current partnership working. Have there been any occasions where a lack of engagement has resulted in a failure or significant delay in your organisation’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency situation?

Select one answer

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.8 6. Additional information

12. If you answered yes, please provide a brief description (fewer than 50 words), including of the impacts on your communities or service users

11.9 7. Quality of engagement

13. Thinking about your current partnership working. Have there been any occasions where the quality of engagement (i.e. engagement has occurred but it was not effective) has resulted in a failure or significant delay in your organisation’s ability to respond effectively to an emergency situation?

Select one answer

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.10 8. Additional information

14. If you answered yes, please provide a brief description (fewer than 50 words), including of the impacts on your communities or service users.

11.11 9. Organisational benefits and barriers

15. What benefits (if any) have you experienced from partnership working?

Select the main benefits you have experienced (you must select between 1 and 5 answers - you cannot select more than 5).

• Clear communication channels
• Greater access to training and exercising opportunities
• Improved accountability among partners
• Improved capabilities to respond to emergencies
• Improved clarity of roles and responsibilities
• Increased funding for joint initiatives
• Increased opportunities for engagement
• Increased overall positive impact on emergency preparedness and response
• Pooling of personnel resources
• Sharing of community knowledge
• Stronger incentives for collaboration
• Supporting alignment of priorities and objectives
• There have been no benefits from partnership working
• Don’t know
• Not applicable
• Other (please specify in fewer than 50 words):

16. How often does your organisation face barriers in establishing and maintaining partnerships for activities that are relevant to emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Never (barriers never impact collaboration)
• Rarely (barriers rarely impact collaboration)
• Sometimes (barriers sometimes impact collaboration)
• Usually (barriers usually impact collaboration)
• Always (barriers always impact collaboration)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

17. What issues (if any) present barriers to partnership working?

For this answer, select the main issues (you must select between 1 and 5 answers - you cannot select more than 5).

• Differing priorities and objectives
• Engagement for partnership working is of low importance to our organisation
• Insufficient funding for joint initiatives
• Lack of accountability
• Lack of clear communication channels
• Lack of opportunities for joint training and exercising
• Limited awareness of each other’s capabilities
• Limited incentives
• Limited opportunities for engagement
• Limited personnel resources
• Limited understanding of each other’s roles
• Limited value in engaging
• There are no known issues that present barriers to partnership working
• Don’t know
• Not applicable
• Other (please specify in fewer than 50 words):

11.12 10. Current personnel resources

18. How sufficient are your organisation’s current personnel resources for participating effectively in partnership activities relevant to emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Very insufficient (staff capacity is severely limited; unable to engage in partnership activities)
• Insufficient (often unable to allocate staff for partnership activities)
• Sufficient (able to engage, but may need to reprioritise other tasks occasionally)
• Mostly sufficient (generally able to engage; may need additional surge support during peak periods)
• Fully sufficient (dedicated staff available to engage and support partner working)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

19. Does your organisation have at least one dedicated person whose role is to establish or maintain engagement with other organisations, for the purpose of partnership working for activities that are relevant to emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Yes, at least one person dedicated to partnership development - No dedicated role, but engagement takes place
• No engagement is currently undertaken
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.13 11. Current time investment

20. Thinking about your existing resource. Describe the current time investment for your organisation to participate in partnership activities for emergency planning and response.

Select one answer

• Very low investment (minimal time required to engage)
• Low investment (some time required, but manageable with current workload and resource)
• Moderate investment (moderate time required that sometimes means prioritisation of other tasks)
• High investment (significant time required that often impacts other tasks)
• Very high investment (extensive time investment required with significant impact on other tasks)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.14 12. Current financial resources

21. Thinking about how you engage now. How adequate are the current financial resources available for your organisation to undertake partnership working for emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Not adequate (the organisation lacks funding essential for even basic engagement, making participation impractical)
• Somewhat adequate (there is limited funding that covers only partial costs associated with participation, leading to constraints)
• Adequate (budget exists to cover necessary costs required to maintain and support regular activity, without major issues)
• Very adequate (dedicated budget or funding that allows for ongoing engagement)
• Completely adequate (ring-fenced funding or budget that enables proactive engagement to support ongoing activity related to emergency planning and response)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

22. If possible, estimate the current annual cost of providing resources to support partnership working for activities that are relevant to emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Less than £10,000 per year
• Between £10,000 and £50,000 per year
• Between £50,001 and £100,000 per year
• More than £100,000 per year
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

If you have selected ‘more £100,000 per year’, please state how much

11.15 13. Current capacity for joint initiatives

Joint initiatives refer to collaborative efforts undertaken by two or more organisations to achieve common goals or address shared challenges. In the context of emergency planning and response, this could mean working to enhance the effectiveness and impact of community resilience activities or developing emergency response plans and strategies.

23. How sufficient are the current resources (human, financial, or material) for your organisation to engage in joint initiatives, for activities that are relevant to emergency planning and response?

Select one answer

• Very insufficient (lacking essential resources, making participation in joint initiatives unfeasible or severely restricted) - Insufficient (limited resources, creating challenges to effectively participate in or contribute to joint activities)
• Sufficient (sufficient resources to participate in initiatives without significant strain on existing capabilities or capacity)
• Mostly sufficient (resources available to support engagement in joint initiatives with minimal issues)
• Fully sufficient (able to engage regularly in collaborative emergency planning and response activities without resource constraints)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.16 14. Section two: what might happen if the regulation changes

We need to understand and evaluate the implications of a potential amendment to the existing statutory requirement. These questions ask you think about how the proposed changes might affect your organisation.

24. What changes (if any) do you believe are necessary for your organisation to establish and maintain effective partnerships, for the purposes of emergency planning and response?

For this answer, select the main changes you believe would be necessary (you must select between 1 and 5 answers - you cannot select more than 5).

• Clearer guidelines and frameworks to define roles, responsibilities, and processes for partnership formation and maintenance
• Improved communication to facilitate collaboration and information sharing between partner organisations
• Increased funding / additional financial resources
• More opportunities for training and capacity building
• Ongoing assessment and evaluation of partnerships to ensure they are functioning effectively
• No changes necessary
• Don’t know
• Not applicable
• Other (please specify in fewer than 50 words):

25. How challenging would it be for your organisation to implement enhanced partnership working, for emergency preparedness and response activities?

Select one answer

• Not challenging (implementation would be straightforward with minimal issues)
• Slightly challenging (some logistical issues may arise, but easily manageable)
• Moderately challenging (potential challenges that may require attention)
• Very challenging (challenges would complicate implementation)
• Extremely challenging (significant challenges and implementation is unlikely)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

26. In what way do you expect a strengthened statutory duty for stronger partnership working to affect your organisation’s overall resource allocation (including time, financial resources, and personnel)?

Select one answer

• Very negative impact (there would be significant negative impacts from resource allocation to meet new requirements)
• Negative impact (there would be some negative impacts from resource allocation to meet new requirements)
• Neutral (there would be no negative or positive impacts from resource allocation to meet new requirements)
• Positive impact (there would be some positive impacts from resource allocation to meet the new requirements)
• Very positive impact (it would lead to significant positive impacts from resource allocation to meet new requirements)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

27. Thinking about the implementation of a strengthened statutory duty for partnership working to prepare for and respond to emergencies, which of the following (if any) could cause issues for your organisation?

For this answer, select the main issues for your organisation (you must select between 1 and 5 answers - you cannot select more than 5).

• Existing financial constraints
• Increased administrative burden
• Legal and regulatory complications
• Limited existing paid personnel capacity
• Limited material resource constraints
• Need for additional training
• There would be no issues
• Don’t know
• Not applicable
• Other (please specify in fewer than 50 words):

11.17 15. Projected personnel resources

28. If a strengthened statutory duty existed for partnership working, to prepare for and respond to emergencies, how would you rate your personnel resource to be able to engage effectively?

Select one answer

• Very insufficient (staff capacity would be severely limited; the organisation would not have the required staff to engage in emergency planning activities)
• Insufficient (the organisation would be unable to regularly allocate staff for partnership activities)
• Sufficient (the organisation could engage, with some adjustments to ensure wider service delivery)
• Mostly sufficient (staff would generally be available; may need additional surge support during peak periods)
• Fully sufficient (dedicated staff would be available to engage and support partner activity)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.18 16. Projected time investment

29. If a strengthened statutory duty existed for partnership working, to prepare for and respond to emergencies, how would you rate the expected time investment for your organisation?

Select one answer

• Very low investment (minimal additional time would be required to partner)
• Low investment (some additional time would be needed, but manageable with current workload and resources)
• Moderate investment (moderate increase in time investment required, and may require reprioritisation of other tasks)
• High investment (significant time investment expected, that will often impact other tasks)
• Very high investment (extensive time investment expected, with significant impact on other tasks)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.19 17. Projected financial resources

30. If a strengthened statutory duty existed for partnership, to prepare for and respond to emergencies, what would the impact be (if any) on your organisation’s current financial resources?

Select one answer

• Minimal impact (sufficient financial resources available)
• Slight impact (current resources are generally sufficient, with some minor adjustments needed internally)
• Moderate impact (current resources may be sufficient, but additional funding may be required to support engagement)
• Major impact (current resources may not be sufficient and additional funding would likely be required to support engagement)
• Critical impact (current resource would not be sufficient and additional funding would be required to support engagement)
• There would be no impact
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

31. If possible, estimate the projected annual cost of providing resources to support partnership working, for emergency preparedness and response activities.

Select one answer

• Less than £10,000 per year
• Between £10,000 and £50,000 per year
• Between £50,001 and £100,000 per year
• More than £100,000 per year
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

If you have selected ‘more than £100,000 per year’, please state how much

32. Following your estimate, could your organisation absorb or fund the costs associated with enhanced partnership working within your current budgets?

• Yes
• No
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

11.20 18. Projected capacity for joint initiatives

Joint initiatives refer to collaborative efforts undertaken by two or more organisations to achieve common goals or address shared challenges. In the context of emergency planning and response, this could mean working to enhance the effectiveness and impact of community resilience activities or developing emergency response plans and strategies.

33. If a statutory requirement existed for strengthened engagement, to support preparing for and responding to emergencies, how would you rate your organisation’s capacity for joint initiatives?

Select one answer

• Very insufficient (anticipate very limited resources to participate in joint initiatives)
• Insufficient (anticipate limited resources to participate in joint initiatives)
• Sufficient (anticipate adequate resourcing to participate in joint initiatives)
• Mostly sufficient (anticipate very adequate resourcing to undertake joint initiatives)
• Fully sufficient (anticipate fully adequate resources to undertake joint initiatives)
• Don’t know
• Not applicable

Thank you for completing the survey

1. Civil Contingencies Act (2004), Schedule 1. Category 1 and 2 responders ↩

2. Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (Contingency Planning) Regulations 2005, Section 23. Voluntary organisations ↩

3. Recommendations 43. Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response ↩

4. Cabinet Office (2011) Emergency Preparedness. Chapter 14 The role of the voluntary sector (PDF, 280KB) ↩

5. Cabinet Office (2019) Community Resilience Development Framework ↩