Memorandum submitted by The Emergency
Planning Society (8 May 2003)
1. There is still no clear definition of
the roles and responsibilities of the many and varied agencies
likely to respond to a major emergency.
2. Local authorities have still not received
any additional funding from central government towards the cost
of running their emergency planning services. In fact, that statement
is not strictly true. The Cabinet Office very generously gave
every Grant-receiving authority an extra £386 this year.
In my own authorities (Stoke on-Trent and Staffordshire) we face
an overspend situation of around £20,000 in this current
year due entirely to annual salary increases. I have no contingency
budget to cover this. Compulsory redundancy is just one option
currently under consideration to deal with the matter. A reduction
in the level of service is inevitable.
3. There is still no national emergency
planning agency but central government have appointed Resilience
Directors, with small teams, at each of the Regional Government
Offices. Although some experienced emergency planning officers
have been appointed to the teams, there are none at Director level,
as far as I am aware. It is much too early to comment on the effectiveness
of these teams.
4. We are still lacking national performance
indicators. I chair a national Emergency Planning Best Value Working
Group which produced draft performance indicators with supporting
documents over two years ago. These were sent to the Home Office
Emergency Planning Division (as it was at that time), and to the
Audit Commission. No reply has been received.
5. Some emergency planning officers, notably
those from London Boroughs, are now receiving security clearance
which will enable them to receive restricted documents. This has
not been extended to include local authority Chief Officers and
so the problem has not yet been fully resolved.
6. The Emergency Communications Network
is currently the subject of yet another review. The report document
is marked "Restricted" and so I have not seen it.
7. The Emergency Planning Diploma Course,
devised by the Emergency Planning Society in conjunction with
Coventry University, is now into its second course. The first
course saw 34 emergency planning officers graduating last year.
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