Recommendation MAI-123: GM Resilience Forum tri-service plan reviews
From Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response, published 3 November 2022.
Recommendation
The Greater Manchester Resilience Forum should oversee, at least every six months, a regular tri-service review of the Major Incident plans used by Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service. The purpose of that review should be to ensure that there is a common understanding by each emergency service of the plans of the other emergency services. It should also ensure that the importance of joint working is embedded within each emergency service.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended regular six-monthly joint reviews of emergency service major incident plans in Greater Manchester. In an update published in February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that the Manchester Arena task and finish group had closed, with the recommendation delegated to the Greater Manchester blue light working group (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It noted that the group's terms of reference incorporated the recommendation, the first plan review was underway with the intention to continue every six months, and British Transport Police had also been included (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). Earlier, the UK Government recorded that it accepted the recommendation in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
About this summary
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The record reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
Government response
Accepted in full
Delivery
Cabinet Office says completed (27 February 2026)
The Manchester Arena task and finish group has now closed with recommendation 1 delegated to the GM blue light working group (BLWG). Terms of Reference make clear that recommendation 1 is incorporated into the group remit and the first review of major incident plans is currently underway. The intention is for this to continue on a 6-monthly basis. Of note, whilst British Transport Police weren't explicitly mentioned in the recommendation they have been incorporated into the review as a key planning and response blue light partner within the Greater Manchester region.
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Cabinet Office (14 November 2025)
The Manchester Arena task and finish group has now closed with recommendation 1 delegated to the GM blue light working group (BLWG). Terms of Reference make clear that recommendation 1 is incorporated into the group remit and the first review of major incident plans is currently underway. The intention is for this to continue on a 6-monthly basis. Of note, whilst British Transport Police weren't explicitly mentioned in the recommendation they have been incorporated into the review as a key planning and response blue light partner within the Greater Manchester region.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
Published evidence
Published findings referenced by inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether the finding is independent or government self-reported. Each finding is this site's summary of what the source found, with a link to the source; this site does not add its own progress rating.
Summary by this site of the published finding
JESIP Joint Doctrine updated to v3.1 (April 2024) following inquiry findings on interoperability failures. Operation Plato reformed to cover all terrorist attack types, not just firearms. Emphasis extended beyond command-level to frontline responders.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Cabinet Office
Delivery statement