Verify training quality of Category 1 responders
Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Issued 4 September 2024 · Addressed to: UK Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
That a mechanism be introduced for independently verifying the frequency and quality of training provided by local authorities and other Category 1 responders. (113.71)
Grenfell Tower Inquiry, Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · 4 Sep 2024 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The government's annual report stated MHCLG identified existing reporting arrangements for resilience training and is collaborating with the Local Government Association and UK Resilience Academy (Annual Report on Progress, MHCLG, February 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government — initial response
The government accepts this recommendation made towards Category 1 responders in principle. There are a number of regulatory and inspectorate bodies across the range of responder organisations to support them to meet their responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act. We recognise there is more we should do to improve consistency of training and in setting clear expectations. We have therefore commissioned the independent Sector Skills Council to undertake a review of the National Occupational Standards. These new Standards will set out the knowledge and skills that people need to be competent in their resilience roles and will improve the quality and availability of training. The UK Resilience Academy (UKRA), to be launched in April 2025, will provide a training curriculum based on these standards. We will set the expectation on the type and frequency of training in the National Resilience Standards for local resilience forums mentioned in recommendation 47. As well as this, in respect of local authority Category 1 responders specifically, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will work with local partners to scope a process for local authorities to report on training and development.
UK Government · 16 Jan 2025 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
The government accepts this recommendation made towards Category 1 responders in principle. There are a number of regulatory and inspectorate bodies across the range of responder organisations to support them to meet their responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act. We recognise there is more we should do to improve consistency of training and in setting clear expectations. We have therefore commissioned the independent Sector Skills Council to undertake a review of the National Occupational Standards. These new Standards will set out the knowledge and skills that people need to be competent in their resilience roles and will improve the quality and availability of training. The UK Resilience Academy (UKRA), to be launched in April 2025, will provide a training curriculum based on these standards. We will set the expectation on the type and frequency of training in the National Resilience Standards for local resilience forums mentioned in recommendation 47. As well as this, in respect of local authority Category 1 responders specifically, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will work with local partners to scope a process for local authorities to report on training and development.
UK Government · 26 Feb 2025 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 1 Feb 2026 MHCLG identified existing reporting arrangements for resilience training. Ongoing collaboration with the Local Government Association and UK Resilience Academy aims to test proposals with the sector in early 2026. Source →
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.