Resilience

The London Resilience Forum gathers together those who respond in London to major incidents. Chaired by Deputy Mayor of London, Dr Fiona Twycross and supported by the London Fire Brigade, London Resilience is a partnership comprising the emergency services, local government, the army and other responders such as the RNLI, Public Health England, and the Environment Agency. There are three 'sector panels' for the Business Sector, the Voluntary Sector, and the Faith Sector, which I chair.

Last week the London Assembly's Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee took evidence about how the partnership works to enhance London's ability to cope with stresses.

You can watch my evidence to the Committee from 1:06:45



Five years ago when I took the chair of the Faith Sector Panel the question was 'why is there a Vicar in the room?' It is now recognised that the contribution of the Faith Communities to London's resilience is of huge importance and the question is more, 'Where are the Faith Sector reps?'

The strains of the summer of 2017 showed this and the report "Mind the Gap" by Moslem Aid into the Grenfell disaster which showed the hugely important role of the faith communities gives evidence of what is done.

The Faith Sector Panel helps draw Faith leaders together so that before an incident happens we know each other and can work together. We try to offer training (tomorrow I am training the London Church Leaders in their role in response), and we help the statutory bodies to know how to use the offer which we can make, which is extensive. There is a faith building of some kind in every community which can serve as a rest centres or Humanitarian Assistance Centres. A person of faith lives on every street in the capital; here are pastors and listeners; volunteers and carers; neighbours.

The Faith Sector is active at 'both ends of the railway line', where an incident happens and where people live, with those indirectly affected as much as with those in the eye of the storm. It is still there when the first responders have withdrawn and the press is no longer interested, often offering continuing care for years after an event.


This is a multi faith endeavour supported by the Faith Forum for London; but much leadership is required from the Church of England and (to a slightly lesser extent) from the Roman Catholic Church because we have the geographical coverage of the whole capital and the hierarchical structure which enables engagement with the hierarchies of the emergency services and local and regional government. There is a duty and a responsibility on local clergy to know their neighbours of other faiths. The London Boroughs Faith Network also has a big part to play.

When something happens and a church opens its doors or a Mosque or a Synagogue becomes a support centre, the work is noticed for a moment. But it does not just happen; it takes preparation and planning. That is the work of the Faith Sector. Please pray for us in it.

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