After the horse has bolted : A quantitative assessment of the count of civil protection officers in London local authorities between 2006 and 2024
Abstract
This paper examines trends in the employment of emergency planning officers (EPOs) within London’s local governments over 18 years. The main aim is to assess how workforce levels in local authority resilience and civil protection roles have been influenced by policy and significant regional, national and international incidents and events. The paper analyses employment data, correlating EPO numbers with major legislative, economic and societal events to investigate perceived and actual workforce trends. Key findings reveal fluctuations in EPO employment, including a significant decline from 2009 to 2017 due to austerity, which was later offset by sharp increases following regional emergencies and new resilience policies. The 2023–24 period saw the highest EPO employment in London for the research period, although disparities in staffing levels between boroughs persist, potentially affecting regional resilience capabilities. Conclusions emphasise the critical yet reactionary nature of resilience staffing, with increases often prompted by recent crises rather than proactive planning. This pattern underscores vulnerabilities in organisational learning and continuity in civil protection functions. The study highlights the need for consistent investment in resilience personnel to address an increasingly complex risk environment. Further implications suggest that local resilience planning could benefit from standardised strategies and continued evaluation of EPO capacity to better support London’s ability to respond to future emergencies. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
David Mcclory is an organisational resilience consultant and Managing Director of Numid Ltd, and has worked in the local government sector in various roles since 2004. During that time, he has managed emergency planning services across multiple London boroughs and responded to a wide range of local and regional incidents, before moving into the corporate world as delivery manager in strategy and transformation. In 2017 he joined the Grenfell Response Team and then the London Local Authority Resilience Support Team in 2018, supporting all London Local Authority Chief Executives in realising their resilience ambitions. In 2019 David set up Numid Ltd, a consultancy specialising in organisational resilience and programme management, initially working in public health, before joining the Greater London Authority (GLA) as the London Public Health System Programme Manager during the COVID-19 pandemic. David now focuses on using his expertise and experience as a ‘reasonably priced consultant’ to support local government through resilience reviews, improvement programmes and training and exercising. David is a former Army Officer, a qualified instructor, holds a BSc (Hons) in disaster management from Coventry University, an MBA from the Open University, and is an active Member of the Emergency Planning Society (MEPS).
Stephen Arundell is the current head of the Civil Protection Service for the London Borough Redbridge, holding the role since October 2022. He leads the resilience agenda across the organisation that employs 3,500 members of staff with an operational budget of £240m. Prior to his current role, he worked for the National Health Service (NHS) UK at several trusts (BHRUT, UCLH, RFFT) and at NHS England. He holds a wide range of certifications in emergency planning and response, including a PGCert from the University of Wolverhampton. Stephen has been a member of the Emergency Planning Society (UK) since 2008 and achieved full membership via upgrade assessment in 2011. Since 2018 and following nomination to the board, he has served as the Director of Governance, and since 2022 has held the position of Vice Chair of the society. In addition, Stephen is a member of the following professional bodies: Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Member; Institute of Civil Protection and Emergency Management (ICPEM) Fellow; Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh Faculty of Prehospital Care (RCSED) Member; Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Associate Member; International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Member.
Citation
Mcclory, David and Arundell, Stephen (2025, August 17). After the horse has bolted : A quantitative assessment of the count of civil protection officers in London local authorities between 2006 and 2024. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 19, Issue 1. https://doi.org/10.69554/NVHV9374.
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