A new guide for councillors
When major emergencies strike – whether floods, terror attacks or tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire – communities look to their local councils for visible, compassionate and decisive leadership. The expectation is clear: act fast, work collaboratively with emergency services and partners, and keep essential day-to-day services running.
Once the immediate danger has passed, and the blue-light services have stepped back, it’s often councils who stay on the frontline.
Recovery is rarely quick or simple: it’s often a long, complex, resource-intensive and highly sensitive process. But it’s also a chance to rebuild stronger, fairer and more connected communities – and councillors are central to making that happen.
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, councils have a legal duty to prepare for emergencies.
Real preparedness goes beyond plans on paper, however – it’s about people. Everyone involved needs to understand their role, have the skills to carry it out and know they’re supported to do it well.
For officers, that means developing the operational expertise to manage crises effectively. For councillors, it means stepping confidently into our political leadership role, before, during and after emergencies.
Officers and councillors have distinct roles, but they’re most powerful when they complement each other.
The LGA has recently updated guidance designed to support councils in strengthening their approach to civil resilience.
‘A councillor’s guide to civil resilience’ gives an overview of a council’s responsibilities in this area, along with targeted sections outlining the role of ward councillors and portfolio holders.
A new section also outlines how officers can support elected members in fulfilling their civil-resilience roles. Strong collaboration between officers and councillors is essential to ensure that the guidance translates into effective action on the ground.
Since this guidance was last updated, in 2018, the spotlight on the role of elected members in civil resilience has intensified.
The UK Government 2022 Resilience Framework and related Action Plan, published earlier this year, call for a ‘whole of society’ approach, suggesting a role for local councillors as community leaders and convenors. They also make clear that local resilience forums – the multi-agency partnerships that bring together emergency services, local authorities, the NHS and other organisations to plan and prepare for major incidents and large-scale emergencies – should be more clearly accountable to democratically elected leaders.
The Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry reinforced this message with stark clarity: councillors, especially those in senior leadership roles, must provide meaningful oversight of preparedness and civic leadership during times of crisis, and will be held accountable if they fail to do so.
The LGA is committed to supporting councils’ work on civil resilience. In 2026, we will be working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the UK Resilience Academy and other partners to roll out a training programme for council chief executives, as well as a series of videos to increase awareness of resilience among wider council staff.
We are also working with government colleagues on recommendations from the Grenfell inquiry, and continuing to advocate for local government to have a seat at the table in future pandemic planning.
- ‘A councillor’s guide to civil resilience’ is available free on the LGA’s website. The framework and action plan are available on gov.uk