Operation London Bridge.Pdf
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COUNCIL – 24th JUNE, 2019 OPERATION LONDON BRIDGE, FORTH BRIDGE AND MENAI BRIDGE 1.0 INTRODUCTION In the sad event of the of the death of a Senior Royal there are protocols that our council will be required to follow. Nationally, the State Mourning and Funeral plans have been prepared by the Earl Marshall, for a number of years and are regularly reviewed. 2.0 OPERATION LONDON BRIDGE Operation London Bridge is the codename for the plan for what will happen in the days after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It involves planning from government departments, the Church of England, Metropolitan Police Service, the British Armed Forces, media and Royal Parks of London. Some key decisions relating to the plan were made by the Queen herself, although some can only be made by her successor after her death. Operation Forth Bridge relates to the death of Prince Philip and Operation Menai Bridge relates to the death of Prince Charles. 3.0 THE OFFICIAL PLAN The Queen's private secretary will be the first official to handle the news. The private secretary's first act will be to contact the Prime Minister, and civil servants will convey the phrase "London Bridge is down" using secure telephone lines. The Foreign Office's Global Response Centre, based at a secret location in London, will communicate the news to the governments of the 51 other countries that are part of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which the Queen is the Head. (Of the 51 other Commonwealth nations, 15 are additionally Commonwealth realms, of which the Queen is also head of state). The media would be informed via an announcement to the Press Association and the BBC through the Radio Alert Transmission System (RATS) and to commercial radio through a network of blue "obit lights" which will alert presenters to play "inoffensive music" and prepare for a news flash. A footman would pin a dark-edged notice to the gates of Buckingham Palace. At the same time, the palace website would display the same notice. Parliament would be recalled. If possible it would meet within hours and the Prime Minister would address the House of Commons. It is likely, at this time, that the Parish Council Officers and staff will become aware of the announcement of the Operation; officially the Clerk will be notified by New Forest District Council. 4.0 WHAT HYTHE AND DIBDEN PARISH COUNCIL HAS IMPLEMENTED New Forest District Council are co-ordinating local activity regarding Operation London Bridge. This Council has previously indicated that it will undertake the following actions: 4.1 Host a Book of Condolence at the Grove. This will be placed in the reception area on a prepared table, with the official photographs and armbands available for staff facilitating. The Book of Condolence is dispatched to the Grove by the District Council and community members are signposted here; 4.2 Fly the Flag at half mast until 0800 the day following the funeral. In the case of the death of the Queen the flag will remain at half mast except for the period from 1100 on Proclamation Day to 1300 the day after Proclamation during which it is to be flown at full height; 4.3 Parish Council Chairman to issue a statement expressing the sadness of the Council; 4.4 Parish council website to publicise the proclamation; 4.5 Parish Council Chairman to wear the badge on a black ribbon; 4.6 Council to observe a two minute silence at 1100 on the day of the funeral; 5.0 ADDITIONAL ACTIONS TO BE CONSIDERED The following are additional actions that are considered appropriate: 5.1 Parish Council website to be ‘mourning page’ for one day at a cost of £35; 5.2 Cancel all meetings in the Council Chamber for the period the Book of Condolence is to be available. Place the table in the Chamber and staff it for a period from 0900 – 1900 from the day after the death until the end of the day after the funeral; 5.3 Select a position for the laying of flowers and memorial tributes by the community and manage such a location; 5.4 Review all events and activities planned during the Mourning period to ensure they are appropriate and sit comfortably within the national mood; 6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Council consider the actions listed in Sections 4 and 5 and select which they wish to implement in the cases of Operation London Bridge, Forth Bridge and Menai Bridge For further information contact : Stephanie Bennett, Clerk to the Council, [email protected], 023801 841 411.