Purpose

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 delivers a single framework for civil protection in the United Kingdom designed to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It improves the planning process by building better contacts between agencies and improving the link between local areas and central government.

Roles and responsibilities

The Act clearly identifies the roles and responsibilities of local responders to ensure that front line responders can deal with the full range of emergencies from localised major incidents through to catastrophic emergencies.