Recommendation 13

Building on the National Resilience Standard, the Government should establish a long- term plan for investment in and support for organisations in local and community resilience, particularly Local Resilience Forums. This plan should focus on: a) formalising intelligence–and data-sharing arrangements, both between central government and LRFs and between the four nations; b) incentivising regular local exercises (see paragraph 106) to test the strength of multi-agency relationships and responses, and monitoring the progress and outcomes of these exercises; Biosecurity and national security 55 c) providing adequate resources over the long term to local authorities for LRF emergency response preparation work and for undertaking exercises, through ring-fenced funding; d) working with local authorities and other emergency-response bodies, considering how to strengthen career pathways and retention of emergency managers and others in resilience; and e) exploring the scope for establishing a ‘reservist’ cadre of previously deployed LRF staff, along the lines of military reservists and (now under discussion) ‘NHS reservists’.