The Audit and Standards Advisory Committee of Brent Council was scheduled to discuss the council's emergency preparedness and resilience arrangements, alongside updates on the statement of accounts and external audit progress. The committee was also set to review its forward plan and work programme for the upcoming municipal year.

Emergency Preparedness Report

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the council's emergency planning, resilience, and business continuity arrangements. The report detailed ongoing efforts to strengthen preparedness and response capabilities through increased training and exercising, enhancements to business continuity planning, and improvements to emergency response arrangements. It highlighted the council's active engagement with borough, London-wide, and community resilience partners. The report noted that while overall assurance remained positive, further work was required to increase resilience in some emergency response roles, complete outstanding business continuity plans, and enhance preparations for emerging risks such as cyber disruption and extreme heat. The report also covered preparations for the requirements of Martyn's Law¹ and improved support for residents affected by emergencies.

The report detailed the council's statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004², which require local authorities to assess local risks, maintain emergency plans, and establish business continuity arrangements. It also referenced the Resilience Standards for London, which provide a framework for assessing and improving preparedness across London's local authorities.

Specific areas of focus included:

• On-Call Arrangements: The report discussed efforts to strengthen training, exercising, and development of officers undertaking critical emergency response functions, noting that while the council could mobilise an initial response effectively, there was limited resilience to sustain a prolonged response beyond the first operational shift. Improvements to standby payment arrangements and an evaluation of the Emergency Response Officer role were also mentioned.
• Business Continuity: The report outlined enhancements to Business Continuity Plan (BCP) templates, including the incorporation of additional considerations from Procurement colleagues regarding key supplier dependencies and supply chain risks. It also detailed the ongoing programme to migrate plans into a revised format for improved accessibility and usability.
• Borough Resilience Forum (BRF): The report covered the council's engagement in strengthening the effectiveness, consistency, and impact of Borough Resilience Forums. This included piloting alternative approaches such as sub-regional meetings and themed BRF sessions. A multi-agency exercise based on a large-scale power outage scenario was conducted, identifying areas for improvement. A Community Resilience Event was also held, bringing together organisations to share learning and discuss the role of community groups in supporting preparedness, response, and recovery.
• Member Training: A dedicated briefing was delivered to elected members on their role in supporting emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. The session covered the council's statutory responsibilities, how emergency planning operates, and the role members can play in supporting residents. A desire for improved communication with members during incidents was noted, with plans to review current arrangements.
• Counter Terrorism: The report addressed the council's preparedness for terrorist threats and hostile acts, in response to Martyn's Law and the Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) for Local Authorities programme. It detailed reviews of preparedness arrangements following an increase in the UK National Terrorism Threat Level and specialist training and engagement activities delivered by the borough's Counter Terrorism Protect Officer (CTPO). The development of a Hostile Information Plan (HIP) for the Civic Centre was also mentioned.
• Training and Exercises: A summary of delivered and planned training and professional development activities was provided. This included a Climate Change Exercise focusing on extreme weather impacts and Exercise Sentinel, which tested London Local Authority Gold arrangements during a cyber incident scenario.
• Incidents: The report highlighted significant incidents managed during the reporting period, including fires, flooding, and utility disruptions, along with key learning identified. It noted an increase in requests for Local Authority Liaison Officer (LALO) support from the London Fire Brigade and discussed efforts to improve the effectiveness and geographical spread of Rest Centre venues. The report also addressed emerging issues such as fires involving lithium-ion batteries and learning from the Tri-Borough cyber incident.

Update on Statement of Accounts and External Audit Progress Report

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the progress made towards completing the annual statement of account for 2025/26. The report indicated that the draft Statement of Accounts had been published by the statutory deadline of 30 June 2026, demonstrating the council's commitment to sound financial governance. The external audit, conducted by Grant Thornton, was progressing broadly in line with the agreed timetable, with sample testing completed and a review of evidence underway. A verbal update from the external auditors was expected, with a more detailed Audit Findings Report to be presented at the September meeting.

Audit & Standards Advisory Committee Forward Plan & Work Programme 2026-27

The committee was asked to consider its work programme for the 2026-27 Municipal Year. This included noting the dates for future meetings and providing views on any areas of training they would like to be included.