Hounslow Adopts Charter for Families Bereaved by Public Tragedy
Hounslow Council has formally adopted The Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy, providing a framework to support grieving families and communities in the aftermath of major incidents.
The decision was made during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, March 16, 2026. The charter, developed following the Hillsborough tragedy, aims to ensure that bereaved families are treated with dignity, respect, and transparency during public inquiries and investigations.
Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, Leader of the Council, presented the update on resilience and emergency planning, highlighting the adoption of the charter as a key step in strengthening the Council's support mechanisms. The charter commits the Council to placing public interest above its own reputation, approaching public scrutiny with candour, and avoiding the defence of the indefensible.
It also pledges to treat the public and staff with respect and courtesy, apologising genuinely when the Council falls short. Furthermore, the charter emphasizes accountability and openness to challenge, ensuring processes are in place for the public to hold the Council to account.
The adoption of the charter aligns with the Council's commitment to its statutory duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which includes maintaining emergency plans, business continuity plans, and communicating effectively with the public. The Council's resilience standards for London have been assessed as 'Established' across ten out of eleven areas. However, 'Community Resilience' was noted as 'Developing'.
To address this, the Council is undertaking several actions to strengthen community resilience and improve its understanding of emergency response. These include ongoing work funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) through their Community Resilience Fund. The Council is also linking strong Voluntary and Faith organisations in the borough with its established relationships, educating these groups on how they could support in emergencies, and empowering communities to support each other. Furthermore, communication channels are being established between communities and statutory responders, and work with funded organisations is being formalised to create a Community Resilience Network.
