HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY SAFETYCABINET PANEL
THURSDAY 12 JUNE 2008 AT 10.00 A.M.
HERTFORDSHIRE RESILIENCE BUSINESS PLAN 2008/09
Report of the Head of the Safety Emergency and Risk Management Unit (SERMU)
Author: John Boulter, Head of SERMUTel: 01992 555951
Executive Member: Richard Smith
- Purpose of report
To advise the Panel on the work programme for2008/09 which Hertfordshire Resilience will undertake to support and enhance the County’s multi-agency emergency response and resilience arrangements.
- Summary
Hertfordshire Resilience’s Business Plan (see Appendix) sets out a programme of work in support of the multi-agency emergency planning partnership - known as Hertfordshire Resilience, for which the county council’s EP Team undertakes the secretariat function. The plan has been developed in consultation with the many Category One responders which make up the Local Resilience Forum.
The broad strategic objectives wereconsidered and approved by the LRF at their last meeting in March. This document gives a more detailed listing of specific projects designed to progress those strategic objectives, assigning responsibilities for their progress to various LRF working groups and committees. The document will be presented to the LRF at their meeting on 13June. Members’ comment on the document would be welcomed.
3.Recommendation
That thePanel comment on the Hertfordshire Resilience Business Plan for 2008/09.
4.Background
4.1The Emergency Planning Team undertakes a programme of work in support of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF, known as Hertfordshire Resilience), the multi-agency forum which oversees and co-ordinates multi-agency emergency planning, training and exercising and the other duties assigned to it under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
4.2The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires Category 1 organisations such as the emergency services, NHS Trusts, local authorities, the Environment Agency etc. to deliver civil protection based on six key themes. The six key themes are:
Co-operation: within and across Local Resilience Forums
Information sharing amongst partner agencies
Emergency planning: planning, training, exercising plans and reviewing plan content)
Risk assessment: assessing risks in the community and using this assessment to prioritise a programme of work
Warning & informing: having arrangements in place to warn and inform the public of any particular hazards or threats
Business Continuity Planning: having plans in place to be able to withstand potential disruption to or loss of service.
Additionally, local authorities also have a duty to promote business continuity management within the community and parts of the voluntary sector.
4.3The programme of work is greatly influenced by the LRF’s Community Risk Register (CRR), a formal multi-agency assessment undertaken by the LRF’s Risk Assessment Working Group (RAWG) which is chaired by a senior officer from Herts. Fire & Rescue Service. The RAWG operates within fairly restricted Cabinet office guidelines and methodology which is used to assess risk and control measures and to prioritise work activities where any gaps in capability or capacity are identified. The CRR is a publicly available document and is published on Hertsdirect: (
4.4The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will include amongst its National Indicators NI 37 which pertains to public awareness of civil protection arrangements in the local area. The Authority has a strong record of initiatives and innovation in this area and will be working with partners in the LRF to progress this important area of Hertfordshire resilience’s work programme.
4.5The Resilience Forum, chaired by Caroline Tapster meets 3-4 times a year and at each meeting progress against key objectives as set out in the Business Plan is reported and monitored.
4.6It is important that a degree of flexibility is incorporated into the work programme to respond to issues arising out of any recent local or national incidents. It is anticipated that Sir Michael Pitt’s final report into last summer’s flooding will bring with it a large number of additional recommendations specifically aimed at the work of LRFs and this will invariably impact on work programmes later in the year.
Background Papers
Community Risk Register for Hertfordshire Resilience
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
080612 Report on Resilience Business Plan.doc1