Annex 1 – Outline description of potential sub-groups active in recovery
Community recovery/liaison
Purpose:
- to canvas community concerns, feelings and initiatives and assist in informing the wider community of actions proposed
- assist in impact assessment of the affected community
Membership:
- lead: local authority
- local authority
- appropriate RP representatives
- local authority members
- community council representatives
- residents associations
- tenants associations
- local schools
- local businesses
- community health, safety and planning networks
- community groups (including religious/faith groups and voluntary organisations)
Role:
- canvas community concerns, feelings and initiatives and bring these to the attention of the RP
- assist in informing the wider community of proposals for recovery
- engage the community in the recovery process
- consider the community's interests in the context of overall recovery aims and objectives, including the choice between ‘normalisation’ and ‘regeneration’
Care for people
Purpose:
- to co‑ordinate the provision of a full range of practical and personal assistance and support for those directly or indirectly affected by the emergency
- enable the community easy access to the required support and assistance
- bring together all agencies with a role in caring for people
Membership:
- lead: local authority
- local authority services (e.g. social care, children, adults and housing services)
- health services (e.g. primary care, mental health services)
- police (family liaison coordinators)
- utilities
- transport operators and their care teams
- occupational health and staff welfare
- voluntary organisations
- faith communities
- other organisations with a role in caring for people (e.g. housing associations)
- private/commercial carers
Role:
- advise and inform the decisions of the RP
- implement the RP’s strategies by co‑ordinating members' activities and integrating them with other functions
- deliver services through its members’ staff working at an operational level
Environment and infrastructure
Purpose:
- use expertise (and monitoring data) to give viable options for clean‑up, repair and replacement
- liaise closely with stakeholders
Membership:
- lead: local authority
- local authority service specialists
- Scottish Government
- site owners and insurers
- health and safety advisors
- SEPA
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency for pollution response and environmental clean‑up
- scientific specialists including, if necessary, the Government Decontamination Service
- regulators
- food and water supply specialists
- public utilities
- community representatives
Role:
- develop a preferred remediation strategy for approval by the RP to cover cleaning, repair, replacement or regeneration of physical infrastructure, and clean‑up of the natural environment to an agreed state
- review integrity of key assets and prepare reinstatement strategies where required
- implement the RP’s strategy
Public communications group
Purpose:
- develop an audience‑based communications strategy based on RP recovery strategies, extending the work of public communication in the immediate response
- ensure that the public and media are fully informed and consulted
- advise and inform the communications output of all other sub‑groups
- address local, regional and national communication issues
- enable communities to make informed decisions
Membership:
- lead: subject to local arrangements
- communications practitioners from all local responders (press, digital, marketing, internal and stakeholder communications)
Purpose:
- advise and inform the discussions of the RP
- prepare strategic advice on public communications
- identify key groups and individuals affected by emergency response and recovery
- develop a co‑ordinated communication plan
- prepare joint messages and statements
- establish communication facilities
- manage media relations
Scientific and technical advice
Purpose:
- to co‑ordinate and provide specialist scientific and technical advice, including on public health and the environment
Membership:
- lead (health‑specific): NHS Board director of public health or consultant
- lead (environmental‑specific): senior representative from SEPA
- local authority: senior environmental health representative
- fire and rescue service: HAZMAT officer or scientific adviser
- lead responder: liaison officer (usually police)
- media and communications officer
- Health Protection Scotland: consultant
- SEPA: liaison representative
Role:
- advise and inform the RP by providing authoritative information and risk assessments of health and environmental hazards
- co‑ordinate with relevant specialist advisers through a single group
- provide agreed recommendations on risk management actions
- provide co‑ordinated risk communication messages
- contain detailed technical discussions within the STAC rather than the main RP meetings
Finance and legal
Purpose:
- to assess the financial and legal implications of the emergency and provide advice to the RP, its partners and those affected
Membership:
- lead: local authority
- senior finance and legal officers from RP partners and other relevant organisations
Role:
- advise and inform the RP’s discussions
- explore different streams for financial aid
- seek authority to incur expenditure
- monitor all recovery expenditure and report on allocation and recovery
- consider litigation, criminal or public inquiry issues
- provide guidance on establishing and managing disaster funds and trusts
Business and economic recovery
Purpose:
- assess the economic implications for the affected area and provide assistance
- enable affected businesses to resume trading as soon as possible
Membership:
- lead: local authority
- SG Directorates (as appropriate)
- UK Government departments (as appropriate)
- local business forums and networks
- Chambers of Commerce
- Learning and Skills Council
- local tourist board
- trades unions
- trade associations and retail forums
- Association of British Insurers
- other agencies as required (e.g. National Trust, National Farmers Union)
- local economic partnership representatives
Role:
- advise and inform the RP by devising an economic recovery strategy that considers long‑term regeneration and development opportunities
- support affected businesses
- engage with bodies able to provide grants and financial support for recovery or regeneration