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The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council

Dangerous dogs, infectious diseases, flooding, obesity, carcinogens, transport safety…. All these are public risk issues to which government is expect to respond. The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council led an experimental offensive against the poor handling of public risk.

The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council looked at how distorted perceptions of risks can encourage poor policy-making and unnecessary laws, leading people to feel that Government is interfering too much in their lives.

The Council produced a number of reports, guides and tools to help policy-makers and the public tackle public risk. These reports can be found below, along with the Council’s other publications and information about organisations which can help bodies implement the Council’s tools and techniques.

The Council’s work programme ended in 2009.

Key reports

Response with responsibility: Policy-making for public risk in the 21st century

This is the main report of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council. It summarises the Council’s findings, introduces the Council’s approach and tools for dealing with public risk, offers advice for Ministers in charge of responding to a risk and sets out the Council’s recommendations.

A Worriers Guide to Risk

The Worrier’s Guide to Risk is intended to help everyone make more sense of the seemingly unending series of news stories on risk.

A worrier's guide to risk (PDF, 213KB)

Tackling public risk: a practical guide for policy makers

This report captures and explains the experience, knowledge and good practice developed by the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council.

The guide explains how policy makers can apply the Council’s approach to their own public risk issues.

Tackling public risk: a practical guide for policy makers (PDF, 2705KB)

The risk landscape: interactions that shape response to public risk

The risk landscape is a map that shows how different groups influence perceptions of, and responses to, public risk.

The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council have produced a report explaining the risk landscape, as well as an interactive version.

A practical guide to public risk communication: the five essentials of good practice

This guide sets out the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council’s essentials of public risk communication: assembling the evidence; acknowledging public perspectives; analysis of options; establishing the authority needed to communicate effectively; and interacting with your audience.

A practical guide to public risk communication: the five essentials of good practice (PDF, 750KB)

Health and safety in small organisations: reducing uncertainty, building confidence, improving outcomes

This report sets out the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council’s work on health and safety in small organisations.

Health and safety in small organisations: reducing uncertainty, building confidence, improving outcomes (PDF, 2339KB)

Building resilient communities: from idea to sustainable action

The Risk and Regulation Advisory Council and the Talent and Enterprise Task Force worked together on a project aimed at improving the resilience of communities.

Building resilient communities: from idea to sustainable action (PDF, 1168KB)

Rising levels? Public awareness and understanding of risks from flooding

In his review lessons learned form the 2007 floods, Sir William Pitt asked the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council to explore how the public can improve their understanding of community risks, including those associated with flooding. The attached document summarises the Council's work and findings in this area.

Rising levels? Public awareness and understanding of risks from flooding (PDF, 4105KB)

Other publications and documents

Research

This series of research papers was commissioned by the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council

Risk landscape diagrams

These diagrams describe the influences that affect response to risk in the areas studies by the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council:

Help and contacts

A number of organisations can provide help to groups who wish to implement the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council’s tools

Futurefocus facilitated workshops enable central government departments to examine policy and programmes with stakeholders, explore the risk implications and gain consensus about which choices you make to achieve your outcomes.

Futurefocus offers a creative team specialising in coaching and facilitation for clients across government, business, education and the voluntary sector. They are based in a purpose built creative futures thinking facility in London.

Various training organisations are currently exploring the options for coaching and guiding people in the use of the RRAC tools and techniques.

Queries about the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council should be sent to rrac@bis.gsi.gov.uk . Alternatively telephone 020 7215 1611.