Community Resilience UK (Community Interest Company)

Community Resilience UK is a ‘Community Interest Company’ (CIC),   a non-profit organisation which serves the community. We were registered at Companies House in England and Wales as number 5716332 on 21st February 2006.

We exist to protect the public in emergencies. Our aims are:

• To protect life and property; and
• To promote the safety of the public generally, or of any section of the public and or members of the public in the British Isles and throughout the world, in each case against disasters whether such disasters are naturally occurring or are man-made, involving multiple deaths or injury or extensive destruction of buildings or property, which occur in public places and whether by land, water or air.

Our Vision and Business Plan is founded on a sense of ‘community spirit’.

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We have 53 people working with us as of July 2010.

These comprise:

• 35 staff based at our offices and warehouse
• 15 part-time Advisors
• 3 part-time Consultants

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We seek to encourage and facilitate opportunities for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through the business community making their resources available for government to use, to help protect the public in emergencies. We also support emergency management professionalism in the public sector, collective purchasing and 24/7 call-off storage, mutual aid, self-help and volunteering at a local level.

We want businesses to think beyond their own continuity plans and to consider the community around them who may suffer in a disaster. Companies have staff trained in first aid as well as a range of skills, equipment, supplies and empty buildings which may be useful in a crisis. Our role is to make arrangements, pre-authorising the use of these resources by government through pre-prepared risk management, insurance, training, processes, systems and 24/7 call-off option agreements.

We work with local, regional and national government, the police, fire brigade, ambulance service, NHS, voluntary organisations and the business community to create and establish emergency processes, systems and services to help keep the public safe in a crisis or disaster.

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Resources in the business community include:

• 22.83 million staff (Office for National Statistics - 20 January 2010)
• First Aid, logistics, engineering, IT, communications, project management, etc
• 1 million offices, warehouses, workshops, docking facilities, cold storage, etc
• 4 million trucks, tankers, vans, pickups, cranes, forklifts, tractors, 4 x 4s, etc
• Food, water, blankets, clothing, drinks, sleeping bags, beds, shelters, etc

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A 2009 survey led by the Cabinet Office in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute found that businesses were willing to provide support to their staff and local community in an emergency:

• 56% stated that they would temporarily release employees to assist the local community.
• 37% of organisations indicated that they would loan or supply resources and equipment to the local community.
• 37% said that they would provide temporary shelter for members of the public.
• 23% of managers reported that their organisation would provide emergency food and essential supplies.

We have found that while a few companies might be willing to provide their resources free-of-charge in an emergency, most will agree on a cost recovery basis as and when called upon.

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The main barriers to the business community helping in emergencies are:

• Fear of risk: danger of staff or the public being injured in the process
• Fear of damage to reputation: if things go wrong and the media find out
• Fear of cost: unknown liabilities of future unpredictable emergencies

Diversion of resources from production of goods or provision of services

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We have found that:

• It is possible to have risk management procedures to enable businesses to help their community in an emergency and do so safely
• Increasing numbers of major companies go beyond their own continuity plans and already have arrangements to support the public in emergencies
• Risk assessments are possible as most emergencies are of a known type, for example fire, flood, etc
• Staff can be trained to follow agreed procedures in an emergency and in practice they will comply. Experience has shown that they won’t panic!
• Insurers are open to the possibility and willing to extend cover to include staff volunteering to help the public in a crisis

The quickest, simplest, easiest and least risky of these possibilities to put into practice, are options for government to use empty commercial buildings in an emergency. There is little risk and minimal cost for the businesses concerned.
Using these premises, we arrange modern, contingency standby accommodation at low cost for local authorities and similar public bodies, with no retainer or holding fee.

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We only serve the public and public sector organisations who serve them in emergencies. No services are provided to businesses or any profit making organisations.

All our Service Level Agreements (SLAs) include a mutual confidentiality clause.  We cannot publish the identities of our government clients without their specific authority.  Many details are subject to the Official Secrets Act.
 

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 As of 1st July 2010 our property team are managing 60+ sites.

Most of these are exclusively for a specific client who has particularly asked for their identity and the locations to remain confidential.

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Our property providers are mostly commercial property companies, investors or developers. There are 9,000+ empty offices and 4,000+ empty warehouses of over 10,000 sq ft in the UK as of May 2010. These buildings are a wasting asset.

Property owners have to pay someone to secure and maintain these buildings because insurers require it. If they are not protected, the empty sites are often wrecked by thieves plundering copper and pulling down ceilings and ripping out walls in the process.  This can cost tens of thousands of pounds to rectify. We are aware of four recent experiences and we have the case studies.

Approximately 80% of commercial property is controlled by just 50 companies.

Emergency standby property providers that our team have worked with since 1996 include:

Alpha Developments
British Land
Chelsfield
CityReal Investments LLP
Clerical & Medical Investment Group
Compco Camden
Delancey
Dorrington
Gleeson
Hammersons
Hampton Trust
Hardcastle 10+11
Heath Property Development Limited
Kenmore Quayside
Land Securities Trillium
Lasalle London Office Fund
Lesterjack Finance Limited
Mapeley
Mars Pension Fund
McKay Securities Plc
Moorfield Estates
Mourant & Co
Nisses
Palace Street Developments
Peer Group
Penge Partners LLP
Portfolio Holdings
Quickcape
Regal GB Partnership
Resolution plc
Telereal
UK European Investments Limited
Universities Superannuation Scheme
Wembley Stadium Limited
Westgate Properties

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Telereal Trillium: history

1997-98
Trillium established to acquire and manage all 1.5m sq m Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) properties under a 20 year Private Finance Initiative (PFI) agreement
2000
Trillium acquired by Land Securities, becoming Land Securities Trillium
2001
BBC PFI agreement signed
£2.4bn British Telecom PFI agreement, creating Telereal, a joint venture between Land Securities Trillium and William Pears
2002
Telereal begins work with O2 and Airwave
2003
DWP PFI agreement extended to include all the Department of Employment’s properties  
2004
Signed deal with Norwich Union
Signed deal with Barclays
2005
Signed 20 year PFI agreement with DVLA
2006
Established Joint Venture with IIC (Investors in the Community)
2007
£800m purchase of offices and branches from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
PFI agreement with Birmingham City Council
AMEC's project management division acquired
PFI agreement with Royal Mail
Completed acquisition of IIC (Investors in the Community)
2008
Kent Building Schools for the Future PFI agreement with Kent County Council
Trillium Investment Partners £1.3bn PPP fund established
Telereal reappointed by O2 to manage its property portfolio
2009
Telereal Trillium formed through sale and merger

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The Community Resilience group seeks to protect the public in emergencies - our core activity is providing shelter.  In turn, this requires the expert property management of vacant buildings. The key objectives are instant access in emergencies, and secure sites which are fully operational, ready for government organisations to use for the public.  At the same time, the building owners benefit from the property management service.  Thus it is a win-win arrangement.

We do not ask government clients for a retainer, or holding fees, or arrangement charges or invocation costs. Instead we ask property owners to pay for the property management service they receive; we charge a competitive market level monthly management fee for each site while the buildings remain unused.

During emergency use, Government clients pay a property management fee of 10% on top of the rent they pay to the building owner. In this way, Community Resilience UK brings three things together for the owner:

• the opportunity of government income,
• positive CSR public relations
• and our group’s high-technology property management service.

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Commercial buildings are valuable; most are worth several million pounds on company balance sheets, often as the largest asset. They are at risk from criminal damage and degradation; and their condition and market price strongly influence the ultimate share value and net worth of the business that owns them. This directly affects the organisation’s credit rating.

Property owners have to pay someone to secure and maintain these buildings, and insurers require it.  But managing empty buildings is surprisingly complex, detailed, time consuming and requires constant attention at all times of the day and night. As a result companies do not want to do it themselves and property management contractors charge high fees.  There is also a corporate benefit in ‘laying off’ some of the risk and liability of property management and security to a third party contractor.

Because of the quality, reliability, value-for-money and CSR potential of our property management offer, companies are willing to pay us to manage their most important assets.

The individual property management services we provide

While not an exhaustive list, our group’s services include:

1. Property management
2. Access control
3. Key management
4. Alarm code management
5. Phone line & broadband
6. 24/7 security monitoring
7. Intruder detection
8. Site inspections & surveys
9. Smoke alarms and damp detectors
10. Site maintenance management
11. Repair management service
12. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) References
13. Potential lettings to government clients
14. A range of customised services and benefits

Property management and site security are often a requirement for insurance cover, which for empty buildings can be very expensive due to their vulnerability to damage and degradation caused by lack of daily use. The more extensive the management and security service, the lower the insurance premium.

2. Access control
Our government clients require instant access 24/7 without the need to hold keys, so we operate a remote access service from both our own control centre and the SitexOrbis (our back-up security partner) Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) which is BS5979 Cat II Accredited.

By using a door buzzer, microphone, CCTV and speaker on the front of the building, or by using a phone call and security questions for authorised staff, we can remotely let you in over a secure tamper-proof connection to our control room and the ARC

This same service is also useful to property owners who can make a last-minute phone call on the way to meet a potential buyer or tenant; to a plumber going to stop a leak.

3. Key management
In an emergency our government clients need instant unlocking availability for both external and internal access points. This is difficult when the keys are continually changing in a large rolling property portfolio. Always knowing what keys are needed, where keys are, what locks they open, and making them available on or near site 24/7 is a never ending management and administrative challenge. Owners also much prefer to contract this service out.

4. Alarm code management
Both clients and owners need to know the alarm codes for buildings. Secure access to alarm codes 24/7 via the internet, text or phone can be critical both in the event of emergencies, roof leaks, pipe bursts or site visits.  

Code monitoring and updating is an important service when managing a large portfolio. If the alarm starts sounding during a visit, clients and owners need to know how to turn it off.

5. Phone line & broadband
A phone line with broadband internet on-site is most useful for a client seeking pre-installed voice and data communications at emergency standby buildings, enabling plug-and-play operations.

Broadband can be used to remotely change access and alarm codes, saving a lot of travelling time to the site to make manual changes when there is a need to change codes that have been leaked or broken. False alarms activations can be a nuisance to surrounding residents and being able to reset them remotely helps deliver a good neighbour policy.

6. 24/7 security monitoring
Many government clients require continuous site security to protect the public from potential threats, especially if the nature of the emergency is terrorist related. There is often no time for security sweeps in a crisis, nor are these necessarily effective against those who know how to hide devices effectively.

When sites are unused, 24/7 security monitoring makes unauthorised access much more difficult and helps ensure the safety of people being sheltered in an emergency.

For owners, ram raids, break-ins, vandalism, travellers, broken windows, graffiti, fly-tipping, water leaks and other property damage destroy site values. Prospective purchasers or tenants are instantly put off by such problems unresolved site problems cost millions in lost sales and lettings.

7. Intruder detection
For the security of those who might be sheltered in these buildings, movement and passive infra-red detectors are arrayed on-site to cover access points and open areas.   Pressure mats are placed in doorways, magnetic triggers and vibration sensors put on doors and windows, and self-initiating motorised CCTV and microphones are placed at points with a wide perspective.

All equipment is tamper proof and vandal resistant, with both mains and up to 9 months’ battery power. Communications include systems which are wireless, fixed line, and GSM, with sequential verification to reduce the risk of false alarms. SitexOrbis local teams respond to alarm activations within an average of 20 minutes.

This is a much higher level of security than owners normally seek and so is excellent value-for-money. It also helps reduce insurance premiums and assures shareholders and investors that their assets are well protected.

8. Site inspections & surveys
We need to ensure that properties are always fully usable in an emergency. Every 3 months we visit each site and carry out a 24 hour test of all building systems. We also run a full deployment exercise to discover and rectify all and any problems which might arise in a crisis.

All building areas must maintain minimum and maximum temperature ranges, power supplies, lighting levels, lift functionality, air flow, water supplies and other services. The site compliance must be up-to-date for fire regulations, disabled access and other statutory requirements.

Each quarter we also make a photographic record of the condition of the premises as a schedule of dilapidations record.  This allows the state of the fabric to be compared before and after use, allowing repair works to be specified or compensation negotiated. This is to limit government clients’ residual liabilities after emergency use.

It can be difficult for owners with empty offices or warehouses to continually monitor their building’s condition and be aware, sooner rather than later, of problems that have arisen. As we all know, leaving a few broken windows encourages further damage and vandalism can quickly escalate. Regular inspections and surveys can be a major expense for owners of vacant property.

9. Smoke alarms and damp detectors
We offer the option of smoke alarms and damp detectors to help ensure the immediate usability of the sites in emergencies. In between our 3 monthly site inspections a lot can happen and government clients need to know the site has not suffered fire or water damage and is fully operational for their instant use during a crisis.

Vacant site owners also want to be continually aware of the state of their sites so they can initiate damage limitation and remedial action, as well as inform insurers. This can help reduce insurance premiums and maintain good neighbour relations.

10. Site maintenance management
Every three months we test electricity, gas and water supplies, heating, ventilating, lighting, lifts, toilets, kitchens, air conditioning, physical security, roofs, windows, etc.

We must ensure that all the buildings systems our clients are relying on to use in a crisis are well maintained and kept fully functional for the moment they walk in. This requires regular maintenance such as servicing lifts, air-conditioning equipment, boilers, etc.

Keeping everything working helps sell or let the building for the longer term.  Lack of regular maintenance leads to system breakdowns and can put off potential buyers or tenants.

11. Repair management service
During our quarterly site inspections and system tests, we examine all electricity, gas and water supplies, heating, ventilating, lighting, lifts, toilets, kitchens, air conditioning, physical security, roofs, windows, etc. This reveals leaks, broken windows, damage, vandalism, etc and we make a photographic record.

Clients need us to ensure that the buildings they are relying on are well maintained and kept fully functional.

A run down, dilapidated site does not sell or let well. Lack of regular maintenance depresses prices and frightens quality investors or users away.

The key to keeping a property in good condition is being informed immediately when things go wrong and what they are. Quick repairs are crucial, before problems get worse.

12. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) References
Emergency Planning Officers agree to act as a reference and provide public statements to confirm that the property providers have made their buildings available at no cost while on standby and rent-free for at least 30 days in the event of invocation. These references and public statements may be used as evidence to support Private Finance Initiative (PFI) tenders, government tenders generally, planning applications, annual reports & accounts, press releases and other publications.

PFI contracts are almost the only new business opportunities available to many companies and involve large sums.

13. Potential lettings to government clients
In the event of emergency use, government clients may wish to continue to rent the site for the longer term after the crisis is over. After visiting potential sites, many government bodies have expressed an interest in permanently moving into the buildings concerned, on a normal leasehold basis, and without triggering a disaster invocation.

14. A range of customised services and benefits
Every property is different. If you do not see a particular aspect of property management included in this schedule which you as either a government client or property provider are interested in, please let us know. We recognise that each site has its own unique characteristics. We are willing to be flexible and responsive to client or provider needs, and offer a range of additional customised services and benefits available by individual negotiation on request.

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