Category 1 responders

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 divides local responders into two categories. Section 3(4) says a person or body listed in Part 1, 2 or 2A of Schedule 1 may be referred to as a "Category 1 responder". Cabinet Office guidance describes them as the organisations at the core of the response to most emergencies, subject to the full set of civil protection duties.

Who is listed for England (Schedule 1, Part 1)

As the text stood on legislation.gov.uk on 29 October 2026, the English entries were:

Local authorities

• paragraph 1: a county council, a district council, a London borough council, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly
• paragraph 1A: the Greater London Authority

Emergency services

• paragraph 3: a chief officer of police within the meaning of section 101(1) of the Police Act 1996, the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Chief Constable of the British Transport Police Force
• paragraph 4: a fire and rescue authority in England within the meaning of section 1 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004

Health

• paragraph 4A: NHS England
• paragraph 4B: an integrated care board established under section 14Z25 of the National Health Service Act 2006
• paragraph 6: an NHS foundation trust, if and in so far as it has the function of providing ambulance services or hospital accommodation and services in relation to accidents and emergencies
• paragraph 9: the Secretary of State, in so far as the Secretary of State's functions include responding to emergencies through health protection functions
• paragraph 10: a port health authority in England constituted under section 2(4) of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984

Miscellaneous

• paragraph 11: the Environment Agency
• paragraph 12: the Secretary of State, in so far as his functions include responding to maritime and coastal emergencies, excluding the investigation of accidents

Some paragraph numbers are missing because entries have been removed by later legislation. Cabinet Office guidance names the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as the body carrying the maritime and coastal role.

Scotland (Part 2) and Wales (Part 2A)

Part 2 lists the Scottish bodies: a council constituted under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, the Scottish Ambulance Service Board, a Health Board, an integration authority and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (paragraphs 13 to 18).

Part 2A, inserted in 2018, lists the Welsh bodies: a county council or county borough council in Wales, a fire and rescue authority in Wales, an NHS trust in Wales providing ambulance, accident and emergency or public health services, a Local Health Board, the Natural Resources Body for Wales and a port health authority in Wales (paragraphs 18A to 18F).

What being a Category 1 responder means

A Category 1 responder must carry out every duty in section 2(1) of the Act: assess risk, maintain plans, publish assessments and plans where that helps, and maintain arrangements to warn, inform and advise the public. The seven duties page sets these out with their section and regulation numbers. Local authorities carry an extra duty under section 4 to advise businesses and voluntary organisations on continuity.

Under regulation 4 of the Contingency Planning Regulations 2005, all the Category 1 responders in a local resilience area in England or Wales must co-operate in a single forum, the local resilience forum, and together maintain a community risk register.

Enforcement and change

Section 10 allows a Minister of the Crown, or another Category 1 or 2 responder, to bring proceedings in the High Court or the Court of Session where a responder fails to comply with its duties. Section 9 lets a Minister require a responder to explain what it has done, or why it has not acted.

Section 13 allows ministers to amend Schedule 1 by order, including moving a body between Category 1 and Category 2.