As Govnet plan for another one day conference on Civil Contingencies: Meeting Tomorrow’s threats and challenges today next Tuesday, I wonder whether enthusiasm for addressing resilience will be diminished in light of impending budget cuts across governmental departments.

As the new coalition government has appointed a new National Security Council and a National Security adviser I’m feeling optimistic. In addition The Office for Cyber Security became operational in March 2010.

The identified security threat also underlines the need for resilient and effective telecommunications to allow for a coordinated response to a civil emergency and so it would seem that the drive is still high on the agenda to deliver resilience of IT and Telecoms within the publiuc sector moving forward regradless of any proposed cuts.

Speakers at the conference include:

John Tesh, Deputy Director, Capabilities, Civil Contingencies Secretariat, Cabinet Office
Helena Busby, Adaption to Climate Change Programme, Defra
Helen Shirley-Quirk, Director of Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Department of Health
John Pooley, Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer and Head of Emergency Preparedness, London Ambulance Service
Dr Nigel Brown, Lead for Resilient Telecommunications, Cabinet Office

Are you going next Tuesday? If you are involved in emergency planning within the public sector it would be great to hear your views on how you think things might change under the new government.