New Guide Explains Who Helps During Emergencies In Gateshead

Residents in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, have clearer public guidance about which organisations lead at different stages of a major emergency after an expanded public framework published by the Northumbria Local Resilience Forum (LRF) in January 2026. The LRF says the update sets out the specific responsibilities of Category 1 and Category 2 responders for incidents such as flooding and large‑scale power outages.

The revised guidance clarifies command arrangements: Northumbria Police will usually coordinate the initial strategic multi‑agency response and often chair the Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG), while the North East Ambulance Service leads clinical and life‑saving medical operations. The Major Incident Declaration Protocol notes that any LRF partner agency can declare a Major Incident; handover into the recovery phase is agreed between the police commander and the local authority. In the recovery phase the relevant local authority — for Gateshead that is Gateshead Council — takes the lead on humanitarian assistance, including running rest centres and helping people find temporary accommodation.

The update follows several local challenges, including the Gateshead cyber incident on 8 January 2025 that disrupted some council digital services. The LRF framework is based on duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and aims to make clearer for the public which agencies are responsible for specific tasks — for example, the Environment Agency issues and manages flood warnings and has been involved in the Team Valley Flood Alleviation Scheme, while Category 2 utilities such as Northern Powergrid and Northumbrian Water are responsible for restoring their networks.

LRF guidance and partner websites direct members of the public to the North East Information Line (NEIL) on 08456 004 004 for information during major incidents.