Whether it's flooding, a power cut, or a pandemic, we all know the vital role councils can play in supporting communitites when emergencies happen.
Dorset Prepared, the county's local resilience forum or LRF, has published a new template Community Emergency Response Plan (CERP), as part of ongoing work to encourage the production of plans by local communities. A CERP is a written plan of who will do what, when and why plus the how of managing an emergency in your community. It doesn't seek to replace or duplicate the role of statutory bodies like Dorset Council, the emergency services, utility companies or government departments; rather, it aims to ensure additional and tailored local support to your residents - especially the most vulnerable.
The new template is accompanied by more in-depth guidance aimed at helping with development of a plan. The guidance is somewhat dated and we will be working with Dorset Prepared and other LRFs to refresh this content as part of some wider work DAPTC is involved in to promote and support the drafting of CERPs by parish and town councils. Watch out for events, training, 'test runs', and other support over the course of 2026.
If your council is interested in producing a CERP, or is looking to refresh its existing plan, don't feel you have to wait for the updated guidance and other support in order to make a start. We've published a briefing note that aims to get you thinking about a realistic and workable approach to developing your plan, which you can view below.
- CERP guidance on the Dorset Prepared website
- New template CERP from Dorset Prepared website
- DAPTC CERP Briefing Note March 2026 (PDF) - member-only content
If you have any queries or need help developing a plan, email Will Austin (
