Supporting Somerset communities during emergencies
The Civil Contingencies Unit develops and maintains emergency plans, procedures, training and exercises to make sure Somerset Council can respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. Their work helps support residents, communities and local services before, during and after an incident.
What we do
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 sets out the roles and responsibilities for those involved in emergency preparation and response at the local level. The Act divides local responders into two categories, imposing a different set of duties on each.
Category 1 organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies (for example, emergency services, local authorities, NHS bodies). Category 1 responders are required to:
- Assess the risk of emergencies occurring and use this to inform contingency planning
- Put in place emergency plans
- Put in place Business Continuity Management arrangements
- Put in place arrangements to make information available to the public about civil protection matters and maintain arrangements to warn, inform and advise the public in the event of an emergency
- Share information with other local responders to enhance co-ordination
- Co-operate with other local responders to enhance co-ordination and efficiency; and
- Provide advice and assistance to businesses and voluntary organisations about business continuity management (local authorities only).
Somerset Council is a Category 1 responder under the Act.
Business continuity planning and advice
Under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, the council must have plans in place to ensure essential services can continue during disruptions and emergencies. The Civil Contingencies Unit works with teams across the council to develop, maintain and test effective business continuity plans so services can recover and continue operating when needed.
The unit also provides business continuity advice, guidance and support to council services, local organisations and businesses, helping them prepare for and respond to unexpected events.
Duty Civil Contingencies Officer
Civil Contingencies Unit staff take part in a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week on-call service, providing a point of contact for emergency services and partner organisations to reach the council during an emergency.
The Duty Civil Contingencies Officer coordinates the council’s initial response, alerting and mobilising the appropriate staff and services to support emergency incidents and help protect Somerset’s residents and communities.
Working together before and during emergencies
We work with a wide range of organisations and agencies to plan, train, exercising and respond to emergencies. Multi-agency planning is coordinated through the Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum which is chaired by Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Partner organisations include:
- Emergency services – police, fire, ambulance and coastguard
- Health services
- Regional and Central Government departments and agencies
- Armed services
- Utility and transport organisations
- Maritime agencies
- Voluntary organisations
The Avon and Somerset Local Resilience Forum has produced and published a community risk register for Somerset. It gives a broad overview of the potential risks.
Supporting community resilience
The council supports and encourages local communities to be prepared for emergencies and severe weather events.
The Civil Contingencies Unit provides support to the Somerset Prepared Partnership, which helps communities build their resilience through advice, guidance, training and small grants. The partnership also hosts an annual community resilience conference, bringing together local groups to share knowledge and good practice.
You can find out more on the Somerset Prepared website.
More information
You can find the Avon and Somerset Community Risk Register 2026 here.
Visit GOV.UK to read about the Civil Contingencies Act 2004