Corporate report

Annual Report February 2026: response and recovery

Published 25 February 2026

Recommendation 42 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.67	In progress	Government	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 have done

The Cabinet Office has, with support from all sponsoring departments for Category 1 responders, conducted a review of wider relevant legislation to identify existing powers of intervention available and whether there are any gaps. As well as identifying legislative powers, we have also reviewed non-legislative interventions available to departments. 

As part of the review of powers of intervention under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, Cabinet Office is seeking further legal assurance on a small number of possible scenarios to understand whether they fall under the scope of existing powers of intervention available under Sections 5 and 7 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. 

Based on the findings of the review, Cabinet Office will formulate legislative and non-legislative proposals for how the government could strengthen the support provided to local responders during a response to an emergency, alongside appropriate routes for intervention where necessary. Any recommendations for legislative change would be made through the Post Implementation Review of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. 

Implementation Timeline 

2027 

• Government to take a decision on ways to strengthen intervention when a Category 1 responder is failing to respond appropriately.

Recommendation 43 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.68	In progress	Government	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 have done

The government accepted this recommendation in principle and committed to undertaking a consultation to assess the proportionality of an enhanced statutory duty. In July 2025, we launched a public consultation to collect information on the potential impacts of strengthening Regulation 23 within the Civil Contingencies Act, and to explore whether there are other avenues to achieve improved engagement between Category 1 emergency responders and voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) organisations. 

The Stronger Partnerships consultation closed in September 2025 and received 165 completed responses, collecting valuable data on the complex potential effects of an enhanced statutory duty. The government published the public response to the consultation in December 2025. The data revealed that there is no consensus in favour of one particular course of action, and a difference in views between the groups within some elements. It is therefore not clear, at this stage, that amending the regulation for partnership working would meet the intent of the Grenfell Tower recommendation. 

The government has committed to undertaking further analysis on the data and considering alternative options, including non-regulatory changes to strengthen partnership working. A final decision on regulatory changes will be taken as part of the post-implementation review of the Civil Contingencies Act in 2027, and we anticipate non-regulatory changes to strengthen partnership working to be implemented sooner. 

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Government will undertake an impact assessment on the implications of any changes to regulations, and consider non-regulatory changes to strengthen partnership working. 

• The consultation outcome report and impact assessment will inform the government’s decision on how to improve collaborative working, to support effective and inclusive emergency preparedness and response.

Recommendation 44 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.69	In progress	Government	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 have done: 

As the first steps in modernising critical guidance, the Cabinet Office published: 

• Revised guidance on identifying and supporting vulnerable people. The new publication included feedback from local responders, voluntary, charity and faith sector representative groups. 

• An updated Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (HMG CONOPs), which is called the Amber Book – Managing crises in central government. As part of this update, the guidance specifically recognises the need for humanitarian considerations. 

To make the government’s resilience guidance more accessible for practitioners, we have launched a new GOV.UK page to collate all relevant guidance, aiming to make the information simpler to find and use. 

Alongside these publications, Cabinet Office has undertaken an initial review of government’s existing resilience guidance to determine what information can be withdrawn, as it has been superseded, or be consolidated into other existing guidance. This review has also looked to identify what guidance should be updated as a priority, as well defining what the future catalogue of guidance should look like.  

As a next step, in 2026 we will be working to engage stakeholders on the outcomes of this review and set out a programme of updates. 

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Government will conclude a guidance review and set out the programme for a complete refresh. 

Recommendation 45 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.69	In progress	Government	In full

Recommendation 

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

What we have done 

In July 2025, the Cabinet Office published the UK Government Resilience Action Plan. This includes a summary of actions to support vulnerable people. The government engaged with a range of organisations when reviewing our approach to resilience, including representatives from the voluntary, community and faith sector, who work tirelessly to support those who can so often be the most impacted in emergencies. We are committed to ensuring that our national and local emergency planning is more closely connected with our communities and the people we serve. 

As a first step, we updated the government’s Amber Book, including guidance to ensure that humanitarian considerations are recognised in national emergency responses. This work aims to ensure that impacts to people in emergencies are better considered in national and local emergency planning and response. 

We have also developed a National Resilience Standard on Human Aspects, to help emergency responders and Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) in identifying and addressing the psychosocial needs of people affected by an emergency. The National Resilience Standards set out consistent expectations of leading practice, providing clarity and updated guidance to LRFs. 

The Cabinet Office has worked with the Social and Behavioural Science for Emergencies working group, run by the Government Office for Science, to develop new guidance to improve the identification and assessment of disproportionate impacts of emergencies to Vulnerable People in the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA). The guidance was issued to Lead Government Departments in November 2025. Work is underway to review the NSRA methodology, to deliver a more effective assessment of vulnerability during crises, and make this more accessible to policy-makers and operational leaders undertaking planning and preparedness activities. There is also ongoing work across government to identify best practise and gaps in existing support for those impacted by emergencies. 

Government will continue to work with relevant departments and local emergency planners, to develop suitable guidance which supports embedding humanitarian considerations within emergency preparedness and response activity. 

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Working with relevant departments and local emergency planners, the government will develop suitable guidance which supports embedding humanitarian considerations within emergency preparedness and response activity.

Recommendation 46 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
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 have done  

All relevant documentation supporting regional local authority response system have been reviewed by a Standardisation Board which reports to the Local Authority Regional Resilience Board. Additionally, briefings for new Chief Executives to London now include more emphasis on the need for early engagement with affected local authorities and their involvement in all Strategic Coordination Group meetings.  

The final consultation on London Local Authority Gold Operating procedures has been completed by London local authorities. The updated version of the procedures was circulated to all London local authorities in September 2025. 

The London Local Authority Concept of Operations, which includes all elements of the local and regional local authority response and recovery system is in the process of being reviewed and the next iteration will be published by the end of March 2026. 

A new local authority specific regional gold training offer has been developed over the past year. This training is focused on chief executives, senior officers on the aspiring chief executives programme and officers on local gold rotas. To date, three courses have been delivered and a further course is scheduled to take place in February 2026. This course is now embedded into the annual London local authority regional training programme. From April 2026, the focus will be on delivering a minimum of four courses per year and developing a refresher training to complement the main course. The pilot refresher course is expected to take place towards the end of 2026. 

Implementation Timeline 

2025 

• First Regional Gold Training Course to be delivered in autumn 2025. – Complete 

2026 

• Regional Gold Training incorporated into Annual Training Programme for financial year 2026/27 in spring 2026. 

• Next iteration of the London Local Authority Concept of Operations published in spring 2026. 

Recommendation 47 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.71	In progress	Government	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 have done 

MHCLG selected five local resilience forums in England to join the Stronger Local Resilience Forums (LRF) trailblazer programme. This was launched in April 2025 and included Cumbria LRF, Greater Manchester LRF, London LRF, Northumbria LRF and Suffolk LRF. In September 2025, MHCLG issued grant funding to all five Local Resilience Forum trailblazers. Following the receipt of this funding all five LRF trailblazers have been implementing their plans, and four Chief Resilience Officers are in post.  

In support of this work, MHCLG has begun a national community of practice forum, which has met twice since the programme started in April. Over the next year, MHCLG will continue to work closely with these LRFs to deliver the aims of the trailblazer programme to strengthen the leadership and accountability of local resilience and to integrate resilience into wider aspects of local policy-making.  

MHCLG established a national working group to design a new national peer review protocol for local resilience forums and invited five LRFs to represent all regions of the country. We have held six meetings, during which the group identified the core components needed for a protocol and is currently working to finalise a draft.  

During 2026 the working group will develop a protocol before the process is rolled out later in the year. 

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Government will work with local resilience forums (LRFs) to design and test a proposal for a new peer review protocol. 

2027 

• Government will update National Resilience Standards for LRFs.

Recommendation 48 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.71	In progress	Government	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 have done 

MHCLG has been working on proposals to scope a process for local authorities to report on the quality and frequency of training and development.  

From this work, MHCLG has identified existing arrangements that local government could use to report on the quality and frequency of training.  

MHCLG will continue to work closely with the UK Resilience Academy and Local Government Association to fully scope a process and will test the proposals with the sector in 2026 before the process is rolled out later in the year.  

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Government will scope a process for local authorities to report on the quality and frequency of training and development and test these with the sector.  

2027 

• Government will update the National Resilience Standards for local resilience forums. 

Recommendation 49 

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
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 have done 

Throughout 2025, MHCLG has worked with the Cabinet Office, the UK Resilience Academy, the Local Government Association (LGA) and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) to develop and finalise a local resilience training programme for local authority chief executives and officers. Commercial and funding arrangements for this were agreed in December 2025. The first national working group to design the curriculum for this programme was held in October 2025, with further sessions planned for 2026.  

The UK Resilience Academy, the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives will pilot an initial training offer to local authority chief executives by spring 2026. During 2026 the partnership will design and create a suite of e-learning modules covering the resilience role of local government. These will be made available to all local authorities in England to include within their own resilience training curriculum.  

Pending the outcome of the pilot by spring 2026, delivery of the face-to-face training offer and action learning sets for Chief Executives will take place. An initial 60 local authority chief executives will be invited to participate in the programme in 2026/27, 2027/28 and 2028/29.  

Alongside this, MHCLG will work with the UK Resilience Academy, the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives to develop plans for continuing the offer beyond the initial funded period.  

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• The UK Resilience Academy, the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives will pilot a resilience training offer to local authority chief executives. 

• The UK Resilience Academy, the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives will have set out a potential offer for face-to-face training for local authority chief executives and wider access to e-learning training to all local authorities, based on learning from these pilots.

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

Inquiry reference	Status	Responsibility	Accepted
113.74	In progress	Local authorities	In full
113.75	In progress	Local authorities	In full
113.76	In progress	Local authorities	In full
113.76	In progress	Local authorities	In full
113.77	In progress	Local authorities	In full
113.78	In progress	Local authorities	In full

Recommendation 

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 have done 

MHCLG has been working with the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and local authorities to consider the best approach to highlight these responsibilities in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44.  

From September to December, MHCLG has met with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, DHSC, DfE and the Local Government Association to support this work.  

In 2026, MHCLG intends to review and publish ‘Local Authorities’ Preparedness for Civil Emergencies (2018) to highlight in guidance the key duties on local authorities for civil emergencies, including those raised by the Grenfell Inquiry report. MHCLG will do this with the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives to ensure current sector leading practice informs the review, and in conjunction with the curriculum developed in response to recommendation 49.  

MHCLG will continue to work closely with Cabinet Office to identify further opportunities in the year ahead to further clarify the expectations and duties on local authorities for civil emergencies, in conjunction with recommendation 44. 

Implementation Timeline 

2026 

• Government will identify the appropriate way to highlight this in guidance that clarifies key duties on local authorities by the end of spring 2026.