Leadership

The leadership and membership of the RP and its various management groups will reflect the nature of the emergency, the particular circumstances at the time, local arrangements and relationships.

The leadership of the RP should adapt to reflect any significant change in emphasis in management activity. For example, its leadership in preparation, response and recovery may be different. Leadership in preparation varies across RP areas. In most emergencies the strategic response would be led by a senior police officer. A local authority Chief Executive should normally lead the recovery process by virtue of local authorities’ functions, their role in safeguarding people in their area and their powers to promote community wellbeing.

It is unlikely that there will be an early transfer of leadership if the activities related to the immediate response and recovery run in parallel. In that case the lead for response may lead the RP’s overall considerations whilst the local authority works with partners in determining a strategy for recovery. The RP’s administrative arrangements will enable any formal change of leadership to be recorded or minuted. The criteria for transfer of leadership should be agreed by the RP with reference to the nature and particular circumstances of each emergency.

In preparation the RP should be clear about how it would identify its leadership for recovery from emergencies of different types or scales. It should consider leadership for recovery if an emergency affected one or more local authorities or the whole of its area. When recovering from a wide‑area emergency, inconsistencies in approach in different areas may be problematic for managers.

Accepting leadership of the recovery process does not mean that the responder accepts sole responsibility or funding for the recovery. Each responder remains responsible for the functions it performs and the associated costs.