Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum

Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum
Name	Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum
Formation	2004
Type	Multi-agency emergency planning partnership
Region served	Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire
Headquarters	Reading

Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum

The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum is a statutory multi-agency partnership covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire that coordinates preparedness, response and recovery for emergencies across the Thames Valley region. It brings together local authorities, emergency services, health bodies and utilities to plan for events ranging from severe weather to major transport incidents, integrating activity with national arrangements such as Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and liaison with agencies including Cabinet Office and National Health Service (England). The forum operates alongside neighbouring resilience arrangements for London and the West Midlands to maintain regional resilience across transport corridors such as the M4 motorway and the Great Western Main Line.

Overview

The forum provides a strategic framework for cooperation among partners including Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service and local councils such as Reading Borough Council, Milton Keynes Council, Buckinghamshire Council, Oxfordshire County Council and unitary authorities in Slough. It supports interface with national infrastructure organisations like National Grid (Great Britain), Network Rail, Highways England and the Environment Agency for flood risk management on waterways such as the River Thames and tributaries near Oxford and Windsor. The forum’s remit intersects with strategic partners including Public Health England, NHS England, and utility companies such as Thames Water and telecoms providers that serve hubs like Heathrow Airport and Reading.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises statutory responders named under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004—including emergency services (Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service), principal local authorities (e.g. Buckinghamshire Council, West Berkshire Council), and local resilience units embedded with county structures. Non-statutory partners include health bodies (NHS England), environment regulators (Environment Agency), transport bodies (Network Rail, National Highways), energy providers (National Grid (Great Britain)), and voluntary sector organisations such as the British Red Cross and Samaritans. Governance is exercised through a Strategic Resilience Board drawing senior leaders from county councils and chief officers from Thames Valley Police, British Transport Police, and fire and rescue services, aligning strategic direction with national frameworks like the Civil Contingencies Secretariat and policy guidance from the Home Office.

Responsibilities and Functions

The forum’s core functions include the development of multi-agency risk assessments and strategic plans aligned to national risk registers such as the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, commissioning multi-agency plans for hazards including flooding linked to the Environment Agency’s flood maps, major transport disruption on corridors like the M40 motorway and Great Western Main Line, public health emergencies coordinated with Public Health England and NHS England, and critical infrastructure failure involving operators such as Thames Water or National Grid (Great Britain). It facilitates mutual aid arrangements among local authorities such as Reading Borough Council and Oxfordshire County Council and supports continuity frameworks referenced by bodies like Cabinet Office and Department for Transport.

Emergency Planning and Preparedness

Planning activity includes multi-agency planning for specific risks—river flooding affecting communities near Henley-on-Thames and Maidenhead, severe winter weather impacting the M4 motorway and rail services at Slough railway station, and hazardous materials incidents on routes used by freight bound for Port of Southampton. Preparedness mechanisms use the principles in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, integrate with Local Health Resilience Partnerships and include liaison with international transport hubs such as Heathrow Airport for pandemic or security incidents. The forum maintains operational plans, warning and informing strategies linked to the Met Office severe weather warnings, and arrangements for reception and rest centres managed by unitary authorities like Slough Borough Council and Wycombe District predecessors.

Major Incidents and Responses

Historically, the forum has coordinated responses to significant events impacting the Thames Valley, including wide-area flooding episodes related to storms tracked by the Met Office, major railway disruptions on the Great Western Main Line, cross-border incidents requiring Mutual Aid across county boundaries, and public health incidents coordinated with Public Health England and NHS England. Operational responses have involved multi-agency coordination rooms staffed by partners such as Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, South Central Ambulance Service, and local authority emergency planning teams from Buckinghamshire Council and West Berkshire Council to manage evacuation, sheltering, and recovery.

Training, Exercises and Community Engagement

The forum runs multi-agency exercises simulating incidents such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear scenarios referenced in national guidance, severe flood scenarios near Oxford and Maidenhead, and transport incidents on the M4 motorway coordinated with National Highways and Network Rail. Training programmes involve staff from partner organisations including Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, South Central Ambulance Service, and voluntary groups like the British Red Cross and Samaritans, and engage community resilience initiatives in parishes across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. Public engagement includes preparedness messaging aligned with the Met Office and Environment Agency alerts, community resilience workshops delivered with support from local councils such as Reading Borough Council and Oxford City Council.

Category:Emergency planning in England