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P2-43

Require voluntary sector partnerships in contingency planning

Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Issued 4 September 2024 · Addressed to: UK Government

Government responseUK Government: Accepted in part (Feb 2025)

DeliveryMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says in progress (Sep 2026)

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry 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. (113.68)

Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · 4 Sep 2024 Source PDF →

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

In September 2026, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported that it is finalising updates to the National Resilience Standards to strengthen voluntary sector partnership working while continuing an impact assessment into statutory options (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). The department scheduled this assessment and its decision on how to strengthen partnerships for the final quarter of 2026 (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). In February 2026, the department stated that a public consultation found no consensus in favour of regulatory change, adding that a final decision on amending regulations will be taken during the 2027 review of the Civil Contingencies Act (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Feb 2026).

AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.

Government response

●UK Government · Accepted in part · 26 Feb 2025

Words of: HM Government, Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response (CP 1248), presented to Parliament by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, 26 February 2025

The government accepts this recommendation in principle. 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.

Extract from: Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response (HTML version)

Site note: This is the government's response to the Phase 2 report (CP 1248, published 26 February 2025). It prints each recommendation and then the response to it. Where the recommendation is addressed to a body outside government, the response prints that body's own acceptance (the Architects Registration Board and RIBA, HMICFRS, London Fire Brigade, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the British Standards Institution, the National Police Chiefs' Council), and the row is filed under that body.

Delivery

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government says in progress · 10 Sep 2026

Timeline for delivery
2026
- Government will undertake an impact assessment on the implications of any changes to regulations, and consider non-statutory changes to strengthen partnership working. – (Q4, Oct to Dec)
- Government’s decision on how to strengthen partnership working, to support effective and inclusive emergency preparedness and response. – (Q4, Oct to Dec)

From: Progress report September 2026: implementation timeline for Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report: September 2026)

Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 10 Sep 2026

The government is continuing to explore and implement non-statutory measures that strengthen partnership working between categorised responders and the voluntary, community and faith sector. We are finalising updates to the National Resilience Standards to strengthen references to partnership working with the voluntary, community and faith sector. Work continues on an impact assessment which examines the potential impacts and effectiveness in achieving meaningful improvements to partnership working, through statutory means.

From: Progress report September 2026: response and recovery (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report: September 2026)

Site note: This is the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's progress report of September 2026 on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, fire and rescue services, the British Standards Institution or the Cabinet Office, it is the Ministry's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry.

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 25 Feb 2026

The government accepted this recommendation in principle and committed to undertaking a consultation to assess the proportionality of an enhanced statutory duty. In July 2025, we launched a public consultation to collect information on the potential impacts of strengthening Regulation 23 within the Civil Contingencies Act, and to explore whether there are other avenues to achieve improved engagement between Category 1 emergency responders and voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) organisations.

The Stronger Partnerships consultation closed in September 2025 and received 165 completed responses, collecting valuable data on the complex potential effects of an enhanced statutory duty. The government published the public response to the consultation in December 2025. The data revealed that there is no consensus in favour of one particular course of action, and a difference in views between the groups within some elements. It is therefore not clear, at this stage, that amending the regulation for partnership working would meet the intent of the Grenfell Tower recommendation.

The government has committed to undertaking further analysis on the data and considering alternative options, including non-regulatory changes to strengthen partnership working. A final decision on regulatory changes will be taken as part of the post-implementation review of the Civil Contingencies Act in 2027, and we anticipate non-regulatory changes to strengthen partnership working to be implemented sooner.

From: Annual Report February 2026: response and recovery (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Annual Report: February 2026)

Site note: This is the annex of the government's Phase 2 annual report (CP 1512, published 25 February 2026) as GOV.UK publishes it, one page per theme: the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's account. Where the passage describes work by another body, such as the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade, the British Standards Institution, the Health and Safety Executive or the Cabinet Office, it is the report's account of that body's progress, and the row is filed under the Ministry. The status is what the passage says: completed only where it says the recommendation is complete or closed.

How this page is built

The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.