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P2-53 Accepted

Plan for key worker availability in emergencies

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

Source — 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

Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:

- The available official evidence indicates that this recommendation is complete. The May 2026 government progress report expressly records it among nine recommendations completed since February 2026; this is a government-reported completion rather than independent verification.
- The government expressed support for this recommendation directed at local authorities in February 2025, noting it refers to social workers (Government Response to Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report, MHCLG, February 2025).
- The government's annual report stated MHCLG continues engagement with the Department for Education and sector partners on guidance for key worker availability in emergencies (Annual Report on Progress, MHCLG, February 2026).
- The government reported that recommendation 53 was one of nine recommendations completed since its February annual report (Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Government Progress Report, MHCLG, 20 May 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by Codex (GPT-5), production evidence audit 2026-07-23 on 10 Apr 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.

Response — verbatim from government

●Local Authorities

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.

Local Authorities · 26 Feb 2025 Written response →

Evidence trail — what's actually happened since

  • 20 May 2026 · Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 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. Source →
  • 1 Feb 2026 MHCLG continues engagement with sector partners to determine appropriate guidance approaches for key worker availability in emergencies. (Covers Recommendations 50-55.) 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.