National Recovery Guidance
The National Recovery Guidance has been produced by the National Recovery Working Group over a
period of nine months, as commissioned by TIDO (Prepare). The guidance aims to provide a single
point of reference to local responders dealing with the recovery phase of an emergency.
Definitions
The National Recovery Guidance has been developed in line with the following Civil Contingencies Act
definitions.
Emergency
An event or situation that threatens serious damage to human welfare in a place in the UK or the
environment of a place in the UK, or war or terrorism which threatens serious damage to the security
of the UK. To constitute an emergency, an event or situation must additionally require the
implementation of special arrangements by one or more Category 1 responder. (Emergency Response
and Recovery)
Response
Response encompasses the actions taken to deal with the immediate effects of an emergency. In many
scenarios, it is likely to be relatively short and to last for a matter of hours or days – rapid
implementation of arrangements for collaboration, co-ordination and communication are, therefore,
vital. Response encompasses the effort to deal not only with the direct effects of the emergency itself
(eg. fighting fires, rescuing individuals) but also the indirect effects (eg. disruption, media interest).
(Emergency Response and Recovery)
Recovery
The process of rebuilding, restoring and rehabilitating the community following an emergency.
(Emergency Response and Recovery)
Definitions of other terms used in the guidance can be found in the Glossary.
Format of the guidance
The guidance consists of a series of Topic Sheets grouped under the following headings:
Generic Issues (including Recovery Plan Guidance Template)
Humanitarian Aspects
Economic Issues
Infrastructure Issues
Environmental Issues
Case Studies
Glossary of Terms
A to Z
Links to these pages can also be found in the site navigation on the left-hand side of every page.
1
Recent experience
During the period in which the National Recovery Guidance has been produced, there have been a
number of emergencies that have involved extensive recovery operations and deepened our
understanding of the topic. In particular, there will be lessons identified from the summer 2007
flooding.
Following on from the findings of the Pitt Review, due to be completed in Spring 2008, we hope to
include case studies and learning arising from these recent events.
Updates
On publication, the information included in the guidance is accurate and up-to-date to the best of our
knowledge, but if you spot something you believe to be an error, please contact Kathy Settle
(kathy.settle@gonw.gsi.gov.uk), Chair of the National Recovery Working Group.
The National Recovery Guidance will be periodically reviewed – once every three months – and updated
as necessary. Additional case studies will be added as and when they are produced.
If there are any issues that you would like to be included in the guidance, or if you think that you could
provide a relevant recovery case study, please email Kathy Settle (kathy.settle@gonw.gsi.gov.uk).
Background to the National Recovery Working Group
Following a number of incidents, it became apparent that local responders needed more comprehensive
guidance to support them in dealing with the recovery stage of emergencies. TIDO(Prepare), at its
meeting on 6 November 2006, therefore agreed that the National Recovery Working Group (NRWG)
should be established to take forward work to prepare such material.
The objectives of the Group included:
Producing National Recovery Guidance for local responders. Differences in guidance for the Devolved
Administration areas were to be clearly flagged.
Identifying gaps in the UK’s recovery capability and providing recommendations to address them for
the relevant departments / organisations to take forward.
Feeding into the review of Emergency Response and Recovery non-statutory Guidance under the Civil
Contingencies Act.
Working with the Emergency Planning College to redesign their Community Recovery course.
The review of Emergency Response and Recovery has been scheduled to start after publication of this
Guidance in order to incorporate its findings.
Membership
Core Membership
Recovery is by nature a cross-cutting subject. As a result, a wide range of Government Departments
and Agencies were represented on the Group. In addition, the Group required representation from a
wide range of other organisations who would have a role to play in the recovery phase of any
emergency. For a full list of organisations involved in the National Recovery Working Group, please see
Acknowledgements.
2
Wider Stakeholders
The Group also obtained contributions from wider stakeholders, including those organisations who had
been involved in the recovery stages of recent incidents. This input was sought through a number of
methods, including consultations using the Cabinet Office Local Response Gateway, presentations and
workshops at various conferences (including the Emergency Planning Society annual conference), the
Community Recovery course at the Emergency Planning College, and five dedicated stakeholder events
in England and the Devolved Administrations.
Chair and Secretariat
Kathy Settle, Head of Regional Resilience, Government Office for the North West, chaired the group.
Contact details are:
E-mail: Kathy.settle@gonw.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 0161 952 4146 (office) or 07771 978920 (mobile)
Rhiannon Harries, Regional Resilience and Emergency Response Division, Communities and Local
Government provided secretariat support.
Timescale
The Group has been time-limited and completed its tasks within nine months of the first meeting.
Scope
The guidance has been made as comprehensive as possible, commensurate with the time-limited
nature of the Group. In the longer term, the website will be updated to disseminate further guidance
and case studies as they occur.
Acknowledgements
The Chair and Secretariat of the National Recovery Working Group would like to recognise the
invaluable contributions made by staff from the following organisations who participated in the Group:
Communities and Local Government (CLG)
Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR)
Department for Transport (DfT)
Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT)
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Department of Health (DH)
Home Office (HO)
Cabinet Office (CO)
Ministry of Defence (MOD)
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Government Offices (GOs)
Welsh Assembly Government (WAG)
Scottish Government
Northern Ireland Executive
Health Protection Agency (HPA)
Environment Agency (EA)
Government Decontamination Service (GDS)
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Local Government Association (LGA)
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) (representing all UK forces)
3
Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) (representing all UK services)
Ambulance Service Association (ASA) (representing all UK services)
Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)
Association of British Insurers (ABI)
Coroners’ Society for England and Wales
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
Emergency Planning College (EPC)
English Heritage
Voluntary Sector Civil Protection Forum
Animal Health
The National Recovery Working Group would also like to thank the following organisations for assisting
in the production of case studies and the Recovery Plan Guidance Template:
Belfast Resilience Forum
Bristol City Council
Carlisle City Council
Castle Morpeth Borough Council
Cumbria County Council
Dacorum Borough Council
Dyfed County Council
East Sussex County Council
Emergency Planning Society
Government News Network
Hertfordshire County Council
Hull City Council
Kent County Council
Lancashire County Council
Leeds City Council
Leicestershire County Council
Lewes District Council
London Borough of Brent
London Underground
Manchester City Council
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Midlothian Council
National Assembly for Wales
National Trust
Norfolk Community Foundation
Norfolk County Council
North Cornwall District Council
Northumberland County Council
Northumbrian Water
Pembrokeshire County Council
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
South Norfolk District Council
Suffolk County Council
Sunderland City Council
Thames Valley Recovery Working Group
Uttlesford District Council
Wakefield Council
Furthermore, the National Recovery Working Group wishes to thank all stakeholders who responded to
consultations and took part in the August 2007 stakeholder workshops. The breadth of experience and
knowledge this offered to the group was invaluable throughout the production of the guidance and case
studies.
4