Recommendation 30

When asked if LRFs and other local organisations have the capacity and capability to carry out their resilience roles effectively, the Cabinet Office told us that resilience is often a function of the capacity and capability of the broader system more generally, such as the strength of their social services, children’s services and LRFs’ ability to muster effective executive decision making and draw on other local partners. It also told us that money spent on resilience by local authorities has fallen.55 We also received written evidence from voluntary groups suggesting that there should be increased mapping of the local voluntary 48 Q 81; Committee of Public Accounts, Resilience to flooding, 7th report of Session 2023–24, HC 71, January 2024, para 2 49 West Midlands Combined Authority (GEX0017) 50 Q 97 51 Q 94; C&AG’s Report, paras 1.14, 3.11 and 3.20 52 Q 109 53 Qq 94, 95, 96, 97, 99 54 National Flood Forum (GEX0010) 55 Qq 52, 109 18 Government resilience: extreme weather sector, its capabilities and skillsets in each area so that emergency responders know what support the voluntary sector can provide in a local area and to match volunteer skillsets with need. The evidence highlighted the importance of capacity, including surge capacity to meet the additional demand for responders during emergencies, via community links and the voluntary sector to enhance local resilience.56