GM Resilience Forum tri-service plan reviews
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Greater Manchester Resilience Forum should oversee, at least every six months, a regular tri-service review of the Major Incident plans used by Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service. The purpose of that review should be to ensure that there is a common understanding by each emergency service of the plans of the other emergency services. It should also ensure that the importance of joint working is embedded within each emergency service.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- GMP stated that the task and finish group has closed with responsibilities delegated to the GM Blue Light Working Group, with the first review of major incident plans underway and planned on a 6-monthly basis (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- British Transport Police has been incorporated into the review as a key blue light partner (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to implement improvements. The response committed to reviewing interoperability arrangements between emergency services and strengthening joint training and exercising protocols for major incidents.
UK Government · 3 Nov 2022 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 27 Feb 2026 The Manchester Arena task and finish group has now closed with recommendation 1 delegated to the GM blue light working group (BLWG). Terms of Reference make clear that recommendation 1 is incorporated into the group remit and the first review of major incident plans is currently underway. The intention is for this to continue on a 6-monthly basis. Of note, whilst British Transport Police weren't explicitly mentioned in the recommendation they have been incorporated into the review as a key planning and response blue light partner within the Greater Manchester region. Source →
- 14 Nov 2025 The Manchester Arena task and finish group has now closed with recommendation 1 delegated to the GM blue light working group (BLWG). Terms of Reference make clear that recommendation 1 is incorporated into the group remit and the first review of major incident plans is currently underway. The intention is for this to continue on a 6-monthly basis. Of note, whilst British Transport Police weren't explicitly mentioned in the recommendation they have been incorporated into the review as a key planning and response blue light partner within the Greater Manchester region. Source →
- 14 Nov 2025 · Cabinet Office Government published formal Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations dashboard on GOV.UK (14 November 2025) tracking all 149 recommendations with implementation progress updates. View source → Reasonable Progress
- 3 Apr 2025 · UK Parliament Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent 3 April 2025. Creates two tiers: Standard Duty (200-799 capacity) and Enhanced Duty (800+). SIA will be regulator. Not yet in force -- at least 24 months before enforcement (expected April 2027). View source → Reasonable Progress
- 1 Apr 2024 · JESIP JESIP Joint Doctrine updated to v3.1 (April 2024) following inquiry findings on interoperability failures. Operation Plato reformed to cover all terrorist attack types, not just firearms. Emphasis extended beyond command-level to frontline responders. View source → Good Progress
- 5 Jun 2023 · National Police Chiefs Council NPCC, Counter Terrorism Policing and College of Policing provided comprehensive updates to Sir John Saunders demonstrating "continued drive to improve collective response to terrorist incidents." View source → Reasonable Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.