London Resilience Newsletter - July 2025
Dear Partners,
Welcome to the July 2025 edition of the London Resilience Newsletter. This monthly newsletter provides updates, support and advice on building resilience in your communities from London Resilience and our partners.
Anyone working in or around Resilience these days could be forgiven for feeling that things have become unusually hectic recently. First the bad news: the sheer number of risks we face seems to be growing exponentially – from climate change bringing us more frequent and extreme heatwaves and floods to cyber-attacks and disinformation, right-wing violence, economic instability and worsening inequality. I’ve heard it described as a “polycrisis,” where we have so many things coming at us, often simultaneously. But no matter what we call it it’s clear that we’re living in an increasingly volatile and uncertain world and this brings huge challenges to resilience of Londoners and our city.
The Government’s recent Chronic Risks Analysis sets out some of the detail of these multiple interacting risks. It’s the first ever UK government assessment of the longer-term conditions that create and amplify risks and reduce our resilience over time. It will come as no surprise to communities that inequality reduces resilience, but it’s good to see the connection acknowledged nationally.
Read more below about the latest launches in the world of Resilience and some reflections on what they might mean for this space.
*Please note that we will not be sending a newsletter in August, the next edition will be in late September*
We post regularly on BlueSky, so please follow us for the latest news, events and launches.
Initial reflections on recent launches
As there has been so much launched around the theme of Resilience published recently, we wanted to give a very quick overview and some top line takeaways from the various documents, as well as some of the potential impacts they could have on work in this area.
Civil Society Covenant, 17 July:
- Recognition of the vital role of volunteers, charities, faith, unions, coops, philanthropists, social enterprises, etc. in society and as national identity
- Commitment to recognise the value and build trust and shared objectives
- Collaborate across all departments
- Promote inclusion by involving people in decisions that affect them and report annually
- Design, fund, and deliver policies and services in partnership, share info and best practice
- London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) is presented as a good practice example of building trust and collaboration between civil society and statutory responders
Resilience Action Plan, 8 July:
- Strategic vision for a stronger and more resilient UK and the steps being taken to deliver it
- This builds on the Resilience Framework of 2022, which called for whole of society resilience and shared understanding of risks.
- All-hazards approach - volatile risk environment
- Whole of Society
- Support for Vulnerable People. Assess and plan for people who are vulnerable
Chronic Risks Analysis, 8 July:
- First government national bespoke risk analysis for longer term risks
- 26 risks spanning 7 themes - biosecurity, security, tech and cybersecurity, geopolitical, environmental, societal, and economic.
New National Security Strategy, 24 June:
- Also reflects the varied and volatile risk environment we're currently in
- Hardening of our national security stance and more investment in hard power.
- Shift to 5% of GDP on national security
Public survey of risk perception:
- The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of over 10,000 UK adults between March and April 2025
- Most people expect the numbers to grow in coming years
- Expected high likelihood of storms, heat, extreme cold, power cuts, and cyber attacks - top five. Note that three are climate related
- Most agreed that there are things people and specifically they can do to prepare for emergencies
- Fewer felt that they were sufficiently prepared, or that their local authorities were adequately prepared
- Perceptions on sources of info, alerts,
- More than a quarter of people felt that lack of money made them less able to prepare
- Willingness to volunteer and knowledge of resilience structures - 68% had never heard of LRFs until being surveyed
This list and reflections are not exhaustive, and London Resilience posts regularly about launches, funding and opportunities on our social channels, so please follow us to stay up to date.
Follow London Resilience on LinkedIn
Emergency Alerts Test in September
The UK Government will be testing the emergency alerts system on mobile phones across the UK on Sunday 7th September at 7pm.
For further information look on the Alerts webpage here.
Share your views on heatwave preparedness
City Hall is developing a Heat Risk Delivery Action Plan to help make London - and Londoners - better prepared for future heatwaves.
We want to understand Londoners’ experiences of coping with extreme heat and their views on how we can keep our city cool.
It’s important that we hear from as many Londoners as possible and capture a breadth of experiences.
You can help. Please encourage members of your communities and networks to take part in our quick survey. Their views will help to inform City Hall’s work, and they can also win a £50 gift card for taking part.
Help London prepare for hot weather - become a Cool Space
We continue to welcome registrations from community, sports, culture and faith organisations and councils to register a Cool Space with us to help us support Londoners cope in hot weather.
Registrations from the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Croydon – where currently none are registered - are particularly welcome.
Some boroughs, such as Camden, Islington and Haringey complement the offer of GLA Cool Spaces with additional venue listings, information and services. Check you local council’s pages to find out about any additional local resources.
Anti-Migrant Hostility: Support and Resources
The London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) have pulled together support and resources for those concerned about anti-migrant hostility in London.
Resources include guidance from Hope Not Hate, British Future, Migrant’s Rights Network, Belong Network and others.
New Thrive LDN Report
A Thrive LDN and Peace Collective report on supporting displaced and crisis-affected communities is now live.
From March - May 2025, Peace Collective conducted:
- 11 semi-structured interviews with organisations working in mental health, education, and community resilience
- 4 small focus groups with community members and frontline practitioners
- A resource review, including Thrive LDN’s current offers and related materials from peer agencies, exploring accessibility, cultural relevance and digital inclusion
Recommendations focus on:
- Improving communication and dissemination
- Equipping educators and frontline workers
- Funding community-led approaches
Call for Local Influencers
As part of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)’s digital strategy to reach people where they are most engaged, they are expanding work with content creators. These could be individuals, local commentators, or trusted news outlets active on social media.
You may already have relationships with creators who engage closely with your local community. At this stage MHCLG are simply looking for your recommendations and insight.
If you can help, email digicomms@communities.gov.uk – with the subject line ‘[insert authority name] local influencers’.
Read the new blog on Business Networks and Urban Resilience from LCEP
The London Communities Emergencies Partnership (LCEP) has published a blog following the launch of a new UK report, “Resilient Business Networks: Exploring the role of business networks in urban resilience“, published in May 2025, which found that over 73% of businesses had been involved in some UK emergency response.
Consultation on VCFS Involvement in Emergencies
Recommendation 43 of the public Grenfell Tower Inquiry suggests amending the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), to require responders to establish and maintain partnerships with VCFS (Voluntary, Community and Faith Sectors) in the areas in which they are responsible for preparing for and responding to emergencies.
The UK Government has set out that it will undertake a consultation and consider whether placing a statutory duty is the best means to achieve stronger VCFS engagement.
The Strengthening Partnership Consultation is open until 16th September 2025.
The consultation is set across two sections – one focusing on current engagement and one focusing on the implications of a change in the requirements.
Stay up to date with the latest City Hall Health and Wellbeing news
Supporting London’s communities to stay healthy and well is something we can all play our part in. If you’d like to know more about the latest health news and opportunities from City Hall and its stakeholders, sign up to the Health & Wellbeing bulletin or follow the City Hall Health account on Bluesky and X.
Training, Funding and Opportunities
Martyn’s Law - Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
The Mayor of London's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), London Resilience and Community Security Trust (CST) invite you to a webinar on Martyn's Law on Tuesday 9th September at 2pm. This is a practical look at Martyn’s Law with an emphasis on Standard Duty Premises – we discuss what you will need to do in order to comply with Martyn's Law.
SAFE free sessions
SAFE (Security Advice For Everyone) are running a series of one-hour free security webinars on topics including Event Security, Hate Crime, Online Security and Martyn’s Law.
The programme is aimed at anyone who is vulnerable to, or has been a victim of, hate or violence. It will also benefit anyone who wants to support someone else or learn more about these topics.
Live Emergency Centre Exercise
On Thursday 11th September 2025, the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea will host a Live Emergency Rest Centre Exercise at Kensington Town Hall (Great Hall) from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Led by Kensington & Chelsea Resilience Team, this simulation will bring together residents, civil society and faith groups, volunteers and multiagency partners to create a realistic emergency scenario.
The goal: to test response systems, strengthen community coordination, and enhance borough-wide resilience.
They're looking for:
- Residents willing to participate in the exercise
- Faith, VCS and community organisations keen to get involved and help
- Students and followers of emergency planning and resilience curious to see theory in action
Joseph Roundtree – Peace and Security Funding
The Joseph Roundtree Charitable Trust has a Peace and Security funding programme. You must register with them by Friday 8 August if you are interested.
This programme supports approaches to defence and security which prioritise peace, non-violence and human rights.
Deadline for applications is 22nd August.
Protection Approaches Community-Led Anti-Hate Grants
Protection Approaches is inviting 10 community-based organisations in London to co-design and deliver new anti-hate initiatives with funding, training, and ongoing support.
Deadline for applications is 5.00pm on Friday 12th September.
MACC Hub Research Funding
This initiative is designed to catalyse transformational climate adaptation across the UK by supporting innovative, place-based projects that deliver practical, scalable solutions.
The Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) Hub strongly encourage applications from collaborative partnerships involving academia, policymakers, local authorities, public bodies, health and care organisations, community groups, and NGOs. The fund places a strong emphasis on inclusivity and cross-sector collaboration to maximise impact.
Key Details:
- Total fund available: £550,000
- Maximum award per project: £55,000
- Mandatory Expression of Intent (EOI) deadline: 5:00pm BST, 8 August 2025
- Full application deadline: 5:00pm BST, 30 September 2025
To express your interest, please complete the EOI form by the deadline.
Download the London Community Resilience Toolkit
The London Community Resilience Toolkit has been designed to help London’s communities get started on their community resilience journey.
The toolkit offers practical information and guidance to help communities better prepare for and respond to future challenges and emergencies. Training workshops and support for the toolkit will be announced soon.
