No statutory footing or multi-year funding for local resilience

The 'whole-of-society' resilience approach rests on non-statutory strategy. Local Resilience Forums lack legal personality and are funded through fragmented, short-term, non-ring-fenced pots; the 2025 plan promises a funding review but no multi-year settlement. There is no national Chief Resilience Officer (only local CROs), despite repeated calls from the House of Lords Risk Committee, the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy, the National Preparedness Commission and CLTR. Statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 are not reviewed until 2027.

Local responders carry the front line of every emergency but plan year-to-year on soft money with no legal standing. Absent statutory duties and durable funding, resilience remains a 'junior partner' cut first under fiscal pressure.

A National Resilience Act giving LRFs legal standing and statutory duties, a multi-year ring-fenced local resilience settlement, and a national Chief Resilience Officer at Deputy National Security Adviser level.

// State-led: Instrument: National Resilience Act giving LRFs legal standing, multi-year ring-fenced settlement and a national Chief Resilience Officer.

Front-line local responders lack legal standing and durable money and get cut first, with a funding review underway and the 2004 Act's duties reviewed in 2027 opening a real window.