Emergency Plan - Fylde Borough Council

Emergency Plan February 2007
The following will be considered: -
• Making an application under the terms of the Bellwin Scheme
• Investigating other available grants from Central Government and/or the
European Union.
• Pursuing organisations responsible for causing damage and/or pollution.
• Encouraging those with insurance to make appropriate claims
• Use of the money raised by public appeal.
8.20 Public Appeals & Donations (Disaster Funds)
The response to emergency appeals can be immediate and overwhelming. The task of
organising the response, arranging for storage facilities and the co-ordination of distribution
can be enormous. If such an appeal is made and the Council’s resources become overstretched,
the support of the voluntary agencies that have experience in this type of operation,
such as the British Red Cross, would need to be sought.
If donations of money are received, the Finance Unit of the Council will arrange for the
necessary accounts to be set up to ensure fair and equitable distribution of the funds.
The British Red Cross have produced a guidance document which contains advice upon the
legal requirements for establishing and administering such funds entitled ‘Disaster Appeal
Schemes’ (United Kingdom). A copy can be found on the Emergency Planning Shelves of
Room 112 (Environmental Protection).
8.21 Litigation
Analysis of major incidents is now typically accompanied by legal considerations. Often these
will be questions of financial reimbursement or insurance disputes but there may also be
litigation direct against the Council. Legal issues may continue for many years. It is important
to note that some high profile events from the 1980’s are still ongoing. There is an increasing
tendency for Public Enquiries to be called.
8.22 Judicial Process
The severity and scale of the incident will dictate the number and type of Inquiries (whether
judicial, public, technical, inquest or of some other form) that the Council may become
involved in. It is the responsibility of all who become involved in managing both the immediate
response and the restoration phase to ensure that comprehensive and accurate records of all
events, decisions, reasoning behind key decisions and actions taken. These records may
need to be made available for scrutiny by the appropriate agencies and if necessary used as
evidence in a court of law.
The recording and preservation of information is fundamental to the conduct of the various
investigations and enquiries that usually follow an emergency and are subject to the
provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Good record keeping serves a further
purpose, whether or not there is a formal inquiry. It allows lessons to be identified and made
more widely available for the benefit of those who might be involved in future emergencies.
Section 8
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