ADD2794- Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers

1.1.    The London Resilience Unit received the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) Trailblazers Fund from a section 31 grant, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This funding was to enhance resilience leadership; accountability; and integration of resilience with other local policy. This was approved through Mayoral Decision (MD) 3421, which delegated authority to the Director of Resilience for the programme’s budget and spend.
1.2.    The London Resilience Strategy (February 2025) set seven overarching priorities:
•    place people at the heart of London’s resilience arrangements
•    support the preparedness of London’s communities, and a whole-of-society approach
•    enhance understanding of risk
•    support robust preparation, response and recovery
•    support integration and long-term resilience of people and place
•    learn and improve
•    enhance leadership, governance and accountability.
1.3.    Since 2023, the Community Resilience Fund has supported community resilience projects in all 32 London boroughs. The programme has focused on increasing community preparedness to emergencies; and strengthening partnerships between statutory partners and the voluntary, community and faith (VCF) sectors.
1.4.    The Community Resilience Fund has funded the following 32 organisations and groups:
•    Bexley Voluntary Service Council
•    the Bridge Renewal Trust
•    the Brixton Project
•    C-Change West London
•    the Commonside Community Development Trust
•    Community Action Redbridge
•    Community Barnet (CB Plus)
•    Community Links Bromley
•    Community Southwark
•    Croydon Voluntary Action
•    CVS Brent
•    Ealing and Hounslow CVS
•    Earlsfield Community Land Trust
•    Enfield Voluntary Action
•    Hammersmith and Fulham Volunteer Centre
•    Havering Volunteer Centre
•    Hillingdon Federation of Community Associations
•    Kingston Voluntary Action
•    Lewisham Local
•    One Newham
•    One Westminster
•    Richmond CVS
•    Thames Life
•    Tower Hamlets CVS
•    Voluntary Action Camden
•    Voluntary Action Harrow
•    Voluntary Action Islington
•    Volunteer Centre Greenwich
•    Volunteer Centre Hackney
•    Volunteer Centre Kensington and Chelsea
•    Volunteer Centre Sutton
•    Waltham Forest CVS
1.5.    This decision will extend each project with an additional £3,000 grant to deliver on LRF Trailblazer Fund aims, focusing on themes of accountability and integration. Total spend for this programme is a maximum of £96,000. Project delivery will begin in January 2026, and conclude by June 2026.
1.6.    Local authorities across London operate emergency planning or resilience teams, that coordinate the local authority’s preparedness and response to emergencies. These teams also act as secretariats to their local Borough Resilience Forums (BRFs). Local accountability for resilience sits with local authorities and BRFs.
1.7.    Each Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers project will focus on integration and local accountability, by partnering with local authorities and BRFs. They will complete evaluations at the end of their projects, and submit these to the London Resilience Unit in July 2026.
 

2.1.    The objectives of the Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers projects are:
•    to improve local community-resilience partnerships between the VCF sectors, local authority emergency planning teams and BRFs
•    to increase local community preparedness through new or improved joint community emergency planning
•    to strengthen local leaders’ accountability to their communities, through enhanced integration and partnership working.
2.2.    The expected outcomes of the Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers projects are:
•    increased community preparedness for emergencies
•    improved relationships between the VCF sectors, local authorities and BRFs
•    improved integration of community voices and accountability to local communities
 

3.1.    Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, as a public authority, the GLA must have ‘due regard’ of the Public Sector Equality Duty – that is, the need to:
•    eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
•    advance equality of opportunity
•    foster relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not.
3.2.    Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers projects will improve local authority engagement with, and accountability of local leaders to, VCF sector organisations. These organisations often focus on supporting communities with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.
3.3.    Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazers grantees bring invaluable knowledge, insights, connections and trust with London’s diverse communities. They are well placed to support in communicating and responding to emergencies. 
3.4.    Partnership working between local authorities and community-led diverse groups will continue to improve representation, and bring in voices excluded in policy and emergency planning places. This links to the London Resilience Strategy’s top priority of centring people in resilience. 
 

4.1.    The following risks and mitigations have been identified:

4.2.    The Community Resilience Fund – Trailblazer projects will directly link to the London Resilience Strategy’s priorities – specifically the second priority, focused on supporting London’s communities. 
4.3.    There were no conflicts of interest identified from any Officer involved in drafting or clearing  this decision.
 

5.1.    Approval is sought for £96,000 of spend to support community resilience projects in 2025-26. This will be funded from the first instalment of £335,864 for the Trailblazers fund already received from MHCLG. The project aligns to the funding agreement and conditions of the grant.
5.2.    The programme supports the statutory functions of the core delivery plan.
 

6.1.    This work will be delivered according to the following project plan: