Teaching grandma to suck eggs
I saw an announcement from the UK Cabinet Office a few weeks ago that got me a bit indignant. Then Christmas came and I forgot about it, but I’ve just gone back and read it again in an effort to reignite my indignance.
On 19 December the Cabinet Office published a new 'Resilience Framework' describing how the UK prepares for and responds to emergencies. The press release describe this Framework as “officially making resilience a national endeavour for the first time". It goes on to say "A new ‘whole of society’ approach to emergency planning encourages individuals, businesses and other organisations to play their part in building resilience across the UK.”
All good stuff, I hear you say. So why the indignance? Well, the announcement makes it sounds as if the Government is waking us all up, preparing us for terrorism, extreme weather and pandemics that might come along in the future. That’s a bit rich, to be honest, from a Government that largely ignored warning to prepare for a pandemic. Over the 22 years I’ve been involved in business continuity, crisis management and resilience I’ve worked with thousands of people dedicated to improving resilience in their organisations. Maybe some of these organisations were initially prompted by regulators, but for years now organisations have seen that they simply can’t ignore the need to prepare for the unexpected. Millions has been spent on horizon-scanning, planning, exercising and yes, consultancy.
Ok, there are some positives in the announcement. The Framework talks about a shared understanding of the civil contingencies risks we face; focus on prevention and preparation; and a 'whole of society' approach. Action plans are then set out under six key themes: Risk, Responsibilities and Accountability, Partnerships, Communities, Investment and Skills. It also introduces a Head of Resilience and Resilience Directorate, a new National Resilience Academy [what about the Easingwold Emergency Planning College, anyone?] and an annual statement on resilience. The framework also encompasses the UK’s Net Zero Strategy and an Energy Security Strategy (which presumably will prepare us in case, heaven forbid, foreign states or overseas wars affect our energy supplies!).
If I put my indignance to one side then I have to admit that it is a positive thing if this initiative pulls together all these strands. However I can’t help feeling that this has the air of teaching grandma to suck eggs.