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P2-53

Plan for key worker availability in emergencies

Grenfell Tower Inquiry · Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report · Issued 4 September 2024 · Addressed to: Local Authorities

Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Feb 2025)

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

Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry

●Inquiry recommendation

That as part of their planning for emergencies local authorities give detailed consideration to the availability of key workers and the role they are expected to play so that suitable contingency arrangements can be made to ensure, as far as possible, continuity of support. (113.76)

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

Published evidence summary

AI-generated evidence summary

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported in September 2026 that the recommendation was complete and had been fully discharged (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sep 2026). The department previously stated in May 2026 that it had completed the recommendation alongside four other response and recovery measures (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, May 2026). Prior to that, in February 2026, the department reported that it was working with local authorities and sector associations to reflect key worker duties in updated emergency guidance (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.

About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.

Government response

●UK Government · Accepted · 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 supports this recommendation made towards local authorities, noting that this recommendation is made in reference to social workers. MHCLG is committed to working with the Department for Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and the Local Government Association to ensure that keyworker social work guidance is shared with the sector and that training is signposted.

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.

Site note: This recommendation is addressed to local authorities. The passage is the government's: it "supports" the recommendation, which is the government's position, not the authorities' own acceptance, and the row is filed under the UK Government. The site records no response from the authorities themselves.

Delivery

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

Recommendations 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55 are complete and have been fully discharged.

In response to Recommendation 50, MHCLG is working with the Local Government Association and UK Resilience Academy to update the 2018 Local Authorities’ Chief Executive Resilience Guidance. The refreshed guidance will be used to highlight key duties on local authorities. MHCLG has begun testing the proposals with the sector and will continue to involve partners as the guidance is developed. The decision has been made to delay publication of the Local Authorities Guidance to Q4 (October to December) 2026 to align with the current Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution programmes; as well as plans to reflect updated National Resilience Standards in guidance, which are due to be published Q3 (July to September) 2026.

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.

Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55 together, and its first sentence names 51 to 55 as complete. The same words are recorded on P2-51, P2-52, P2-53, P2-54 and P2-55; the row on 50 from the same page carries the passage from its second sentence.

Earlier statements on delivery (0)

●Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government · 20 May 2026

Since the Annual Report published in February 2026, we have completed a further 9 recommendations. Recommendations 22, 23, 27 and 28 are related to the construction industry, and 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55 are related to response and recovery.

From: Progress report May 2026: summary update (part of Grenfell Tower Inquiry Government Progress Report: May 2026)

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

MHCLG has been working with the Cabinet Office, the Department for Education (DfE), the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and local authorities to consider the best approach to highlight these responsibilities in guidance in conjunction with recommendation 44.

From September to December, MHCLG has met with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, DHSC, DfE and the Local Government Association to support this work.

In 2026, MHCLG intends to review and publish ‘Local Authorities’ Preparedness for Civil Emergencies (2018) to highlight in guidance the key duties on local authorities for civil emergencies, including those raised by the Grenfell Inquiry report. MHCLG will do this with the Local Government Association and Society of Local Authority Chief Executives to ensure current sector leading practice informs the review, and in conjunction with the curriculum developed in response to recommendation 49.

MHCLG will continue to work closely with Cabinet Office to identify further opportunities in the year ahead to further clarify the expectations and duties on local authorities for civil emergencies, in conjunction with recommendation 44.

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.

Site note: The source gives this passage once, for recommendations 50, 51, 52, 53, 54 and 55 together. The same words are recorded on P2-50, P2-51, P2-52, P2-53, P2-54 and P2-55.

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.