Local authorities face unique challenges when it comes to business continuity. Diverse services, public accountability, and tight budgets make resilience planning essential—but it doesn’t have to be complicated or costly.
As legacy systems approach end-of-life, many councils are asking: What’s next? The answer isn’t more complexity or bigger software. It’s a smarter, risk-based approach that focuses on what matters most.
Traditional continuity planning often results in dozens of siloed service plans that are hard to maintain and coordinate during disruption. A risk-based approach changes that. Instead of managing continuity in isolation, it looks across the organisation, prioritising threats and impacts at a strategic level.
This means clearer governance, better decision-making, and a framework that’s easier to maintain and adapt as services evolve.
The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) requires Category 1 responders—including councils—to maintain plans that ensure critical services can continue during emergencies. A risk-based approach fully supports this requirement. Rather than creating and maintaining dozens of separate service plans, it identifies the functions and assets that underpin statutory duties and public safety, then sets recovery objectives based on impact tolerance.
This ensures compliance with the CCA while avoiding unnecessary complexity. Critical services—such as social care, housing, and emergency response—are prioritised and recovered within agreed timeframes, supported by clear strategies and governance.
A common concern is whether moving away from service-by-service plans compromises recovery. In fact, the opposite is true. By mapping dependencies and assessing risk, councils can focus resources where they matter most. This approach delivers:
The result is a continuity framework that is both compliant and operationally robust.
Our methodology works for councils and public-facing organisations. It combines expert-led planning with a practical system that simplifies continuity management. Key features include:
Councils are under pressure to do more with less. Investing in resilience isn’t about ticking a compliance box—it’s about protecting essential services and maintaining public confidence. A streamlined, risk-based continuity framework helps achieve that without unnecessary complexity.
Looking for a practical way forward?
We help councils build continuity frameworks that are clear, maintainable, and aligned with real-world priorities. If you’d like to explore how this approach could work for your organisation, get in touch.