Various UK local authorities have been presented with Beacon Awards for excellence in emergency planning. The awards were announced at a ceremony on Tuesday 20 March at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London.

Award winning authorities were:

East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Kingston upon Hull City Council
North Lincolnshire Council
Essex County Council,
Gloucestershire County Council
Cheltenham Borough Council,
Cotswold District Council,
Forest of Dean District Council,
Gloucester City Council,
Stroud District Council,
Tewkesbury Borough Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Middlesbrough Council, Redcar and Cleveland Council
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Cleveland Fire Authority
Cleveland Police Authority
Hertfordshire County Council,
Nottinghamshire County Council
Newark and Sherwood District Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

The criteria for gaining the awards state that all these authorities have robust risk assessment processes in place, which are used to inform priority setting and resource allocation. Risk assessment work is shared with and between partners to maximise the use of relevant expertise and minimise duplication between agencies. There is evidence of demonstrable progress in building the capabilities required to deal effectively with assessed risks. These authorities also demonstrate systematic, comprehensive and sustainable business continuity management arrangements, which will ensure that they can continue to deliver their critical functions in the event of an emergency.

The Beacon awards are sponsored by communities and local government and facilitated by the Improvement and Development Agency.

•Date: 23rd March 2007 • Region: UK •Type: Article •Topic: Public sector
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