Resilience and Information for Communities

The Resilience Planning Team is responsible for ensuring that the City Council meets its statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.   The Civil Contingencies Act provides a statutory framework for agencies involved in emergency planning, response and recovery.

The Act defines what tasks should be performed and how co-operation between agencies should be co-ordinated.  Newcastle City Council is what is known as a Category One Responder. We work with the likes of the Police, Fire and Rescue and others through a Local Resilience Forum.

You can speak to the Resilience Team by calling 01912787878 or emailing resilience@newcastle.gov.uk (Monday - Friday during normal office hours).

Community Information

The UK Government has published a UK Resilience Framework. The core of the Framework is three fundamental principles : that we need a shared understanding of the risks that we face; that we must focus on prevention and preparation and that resilience requires a whole society response. There is also a website that looks at how the public can help themselves before, during and after an emergency incident.

The Northumbria Community Risk Register provides information on risks within the Northumbria Police area and information on how you can become more prepared and resilient in your home, business and community. The National Risk Register outlines the most serious risks facing the United Kingdom.

If there is a major incident or serious emergency in Newcastle (for example flooding; a major pollution incident or major loss of utility services), you can obtain general advice and information on what is happening by tuning into your local radio station and also checking official social media sites. A few useful websites and contact numbers are below :

Flooding 0800 80 70 60

Gas 0800 111 999

National Highways 0300 123 5000

Network Rail  03457 1141 41 

Nexus Bus, Metro and Ferry 0800 20 20 747 (Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm)

Power cuts 0800 66 88 77

Animal, Plant Health 0300 200 301

Police, Fire and Rescue and Ambulance, always dial 999 in an emergency

Specific instructions and personal assistance to individuals directly affected by the incident will be provided by the emergency services and other partner agencies on site.

The UK Emergency Alert Service has now been launched.  The service is intended to warn you if there is danger to life nearby.  Alerts can be sent to 4G and 5G supported devices.  No personal data is stored or used.  For more information visit www.gov.uk/alerts, including on how to opt out.  Domestic violence charity Refuge has made this short video of how to switch off alerts to help those people who may have a secret phone.