A Local Resilience Forum is a statutory body covering a police force area, designed to bring Category 1 and 2 responders together for multi-agency co-operation and information sharing. Under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) every part of the United Kingdom is required to establish a Local Resilience Forum.
The Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum brings together the emergency services, local authorities, National Health Service and other agencies which are all required to respond to any major emergency in Bedfordshire and Luton.
As well as dealing with the aftermath of an emergency, all services and organisations work together to ensure that the best possible plans are in place. These are regularly tested and updated so that agencies can respond immediately and effectively to any threat. All responders work to a set of common objectives, which will help to:
- prevent the disaster getting worse
- save life
- relieve suffering
- restore normality as soon as possible
- protect property
- facilitate a criminal investigation and judicial process if necessary