In November 2004 the Civil Contingencies Act came into place. It is designed to strengthen the UK’s resilience and its ability to prevent, respond to and recover from major emergencies and disaster situations – events such as the London bombings, the Boscastle floods and the explosion at the Buncefield oil depot. Thankfully, such devastating events are relatively rare, but every day, communities across Britain experience ‘local disasters’ and disruptions that are every bit as damaging to the businesses involved.

Under the new Act, Local Authorities have a duty to work with local business and voluntary organisations to ensure that communities have the resilience to cope with these situations. This is what we mean by Business Continuity.

Putting in place business continuity arrangements for your organisation need not be a daunting task, but it will significantly improve your chances of survival in the face of a disruption to normal working. Also, by gearing up to deal with the major disasters, your business will automatically be better equipped to withstand the smaller day to day disruptions that we all experience.

What are the risks to your business? Could you continue to operate following…A fire?...A flood?...Theft or damage to essential equipment?

And how would you cope with…Loss of significant staff numbers due to a flu outbreak or strike?...A major power outage?

Lincolnshire’s Local Authorities are providing FREE advice to all local businesses and voluntary organisations, helping them to understand the risks they face and how they can prepare for and deal with unforeseen disruptions.

Advice and guidance, including downloadable guides, are available at www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/businesscontinuity  

These pages also provide links to national Business Continuity guidance and a wealth of other advice on how to protect yourself against crime, fire and flood damage.

Lincolnshire’s local authorities are looking to hold a series of events promoting business continuity to small and medium businesses across the county. Details will be available through the Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce and other representative bodies, such as the Federation of Small Businesses and National Farmers Union and also future editions of County News.