The Local Resilience Forum

The principal mechanism for multi-agency cooperation under the Act is the Local Resilience Forum (LRF), based on each police area.   The forum is a process by which the organisations on which the duty falls co-operate with each other.  It does not have a separate legal personality, it does not have powers to direct its members. 

Members of the Forum are Senior Managers from Fire, Police, Ambulance, Local Authorities, Primary Care Trust, Health Protection Agency, Environment Agency and Military.

The main forum must meet every six months.  Meetings can be held more frequently if LRF members agree that is necessary.

The purpose of the LRF process is to ensure effective delivery of those duties under the Act that need to be developed in a multi-agency environment.  In particular, the LRF process should deliver:

• The compilation of agreed risk profiles for the area, through a Community Risk Register;
• A systematic, planned and co-ordinated approach to encourage Category 1 responders, according to their functions, to address all aspects of policy in relation to:
• • i) risk
  • ii) planning for emergencies;
  • iii) planning for business continuity management;
  • iv) publishing information about risk assessments and plans;
  • v) arrangements to warn and inform the public; and
  • vi) other aspects of the emergency planning duty, including the promotion of business continuity management by local authorities; and
• Support for the preparation by all or some of its members of multi-agency plans and other documents, including protocols and agreements and the co-ordination of multi-agency exercises and other training events.

Below the LRF is a Support Group and several topic-specific sub-groups.  These groups meet on a regular basis and feed into the main LRF.