Progress report: response and recovery
Updated 17 December 2025
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Recommendation 42
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 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 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
The Cabinet Office has undertaken an initial review of the powers of intervention detailed in the Civil Contingencies Act and in other relevant legislation. Based on this review, we are now forming policy proposals for ministerial consideration.
Responsible department
Cabinet Office
Responsible person
Roger Hargreaves, Director COBR
Recommendation 43
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 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 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
The Stronger Partnerships consultation received 165 completed responses providing information and views on the potential impacts of the proposals to strengthen the duty.
The government’s public response to the consultation was published on 16 December 2025. Based on the outcome of the consultation, the government will now consider what, if any, regulations should be changed and undertake an impact evaluation in 2026 of any proposed changes.
Responsible department
Cabinet Office
Responsible person
Roger Hargreaves, Director COBR
Recommendation 44
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 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 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 ‘Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People’ in spring 2025.
This recommendation will be complete when
1. Cabinet Office has published ‘Identifying and Supporting Vulnerable People’ on GOV.UK. It has published the Government 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 has undertaken an initial review of existing guidance to determine what guidance can be withdrawn and/or consolidated into other guidance, as well as identifying guidance which requires updating as a priority.
Alongside this, we have launched a new GOV.UK page to bring together all relevant guidance. This makes it easier for resilience practitioners to find and use. We are taking forward further work to engage stakeholders to inform the prioritisation and update of existing guidance.
Responsible department
Cabinet Office
Responsible person
Roger Hargreaves, Director COBR
Recommendation 45
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 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 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
The government continues to strengthen humanitarian considerations into emergency preparedness and response activity.
Most recently, Cabinet Office has developed a National Resilience Standard on Human Aspects to support emergency responders and Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) in identifying, considering, and addressing the psychosocial needs of individuals affected by an emergency. The National Resilience Standard aims to support LRFs by setting out consistent expectations of good and leading practice, which build on other relevant guidance.
Responsible department
Cabinet Office
Responsible person
Roger Hargreaves, Director COBR
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
London’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 ‘Borough Resilience Forum’ 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
Updated London Local Authority Gold Operating procedures which take into account this recommendation were circulated to all London local authorities on 30 September 2025. The London Local Authority Concept of Operations, which encompasses all elements of the local and regional local authority response and recovery system, remains on track to be reviewed and updated by 31 March 2026.
A local authority specific regional gold training offer began on 7 and 8 October 2025. The course is aimed at chief executives, senior officers on the aspiring chief executives programme and officers on local gold rotas. The first course was held over two-days and plans are in place for three more courses to be delivered up to April 2026, with dates already set. To maximise the training experience, courses were originally limited to 17 participants, but due to the success of the first course, this will be increased to 20.
This course will be embedded into the annual local authority regional training offer from April 2026 to April 2027, and efforts will then shift towards developing refresher training to complement the main course.
Recommendation 47
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47 | 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 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 forums’ 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 forums’ 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
All 5 Local Resilience Forum trailblazers continue to implement their plans following receipt of grant funding and 4 Chief Resilience Officers are now in post.
MHCLG has launched and held 4 meetings of a national working group to design a national peer review protocol. The group has identified the core components needed for a protocol, and is working together to finalise a draft, which will be refined over the coming months and tested by March 2026.
Responsible department
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Responsible person
Robert Arnott, Director, Resilience and Recovery
Recommendation 48
| Recommendation number |
Inquiry reference | Status | Responsibility | Accepted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | 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 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 Government (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
MHCLG has identified existing arrangements that could be used by local government to report on the frequency and quality of resilience training and development.
We continue to work closely with the Local Government Association and UK Resilience Academy to consider these and other options, and plan to hold further discussions with the local government sector in the new year to test these proposals.
Responsible department
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Responsible person
Robert Arnott, Director, Resilience and Recovery
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 Government 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 Government 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 Government 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
Discussions between MHCLG, Cabinet Office, the LGA, UK Resilience Academy (UKRA) and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) to develop a partnership to support local resilience training are ongoing. The training will be rolled out to local authority chief executives in the new year, as well as providing e-learning for all local authority employees.
The first national working group to design the curriculum for this programme took place in October 2025, and further sessions with this group are planned for 2026.
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 Government 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 Government 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
We are continuing engagement with sector partners to identify the most appropriate way to highlight this in guidance.
Since the last report, MHCLG has met with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, the British Association of Social Workers, DHSC, DfE and the Local Government Association.