Lack of understanding of operational security by ALC

Question

So, still we see example of an ALC inappropriately assigning so called ‘confidentiality’ to Operation LONDON BRIDGE planning and policy documents.
On the one hand, the information cascade ‘should’ be coming to town and parish councils via first tier councils - yeah,right, nothing there.
But since ALC are distributing info via clerks with the express instruction NOT to share with Cllrs just goes to illustrate how incapable ALC is at applying any SENSE to avoid inappropriate document control caveats.
The whole purpose - over DECADES - of the bridge plans (of which there are many) is to enable planning, discreetly, before the principle actually dies.
In the case of Op LONDON BRIDGE, it ‘should’ now be obvious that the need for discretion is replaced by the need for ACTION and action relies upon information.
Op LONDON BRIDGE details should now be open source for the implementation of arrangements by town and parish councils.
Genuinely despair at the lack of sense on the part of certain organisations….

Answer 1

What is Operation London Bridge?

Comments

The formal protocol to be followed on the death of a senior royal.  Operation Spring Tide refers specifically to the death of a Monarch.

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Not quite, the state arrangements on the passing of each senior Royal is assigned a bridge name - the late HM the Queen Elizabeth II being London Bridge. Op Bridge is the common denominator with the name of the bridge associated to different plans for different senior Royals.

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Spring Tide actually refers to the accession of the next in line after the passing of a monarch.

Answer 2

I believe the designation was at the request of the Palace rather than at local or national level.  Many councils have plans in place which they are now activating, guided by their Lord Lieutenant as representative of the Monarchy.

Comments

I think you’re missing the point.
The plans which come into effect at the passing of HM the late Queen Elizabeth II are called Op LONDON BRIDGE.
For obvious reasons of sensitivity, they are handled with a degree of care.
Compiling and designating the sensitivity of the civic arrangements is a function of the Civil Service.
The original point of the post was to highlight that ALC, if still applying the same levels of sensitivity as were appropriate before the announcement, are completely missing the original purpose of the appropriate sensitivity and hampering proper arrangements by town and parish councils by continuing to withhold information on the basis of obsolete protective caveat.
Bangs head on table…..

Answer 3

All our councillors have been copied into a slew of emails from District, but with the advice not to share information publicly as some of the dates / timings are still being finalised it seems.

Comments

Everything is linked to the date of the death but the lateness of the announcement yesterday has thrown some plans into confusion while awaiting confirmation of the timing of some activities at national level.

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Not quite correct again I’m afraid.
Easily misunderstood but the “announcement” by the BBC and the posting of a notice on the gates of Buckingham Palace are neither of them the official announcement of death which originates from the Lord Chamberlain’s office.
It is the death notice from the Lord Chamberlain which effects the ‘start’ of Operation LONDON BRIDGE and from the date / time of that notice follow all of the specified subsequent  timings.
You need to think I’m terms of a military operation which is pretty much where the bridge protocols are formed. Example - 6 hours from the notice (not the BBC or a note on the gate) there will be a 96 gun salute. If timings were taken from the beeb that would have put the gun salute at what, 1 AM?
People have gone off on a false starting gun without having a proper grasp of the detail which brings us right back full circle to why those with a little bit of info are not always best placed to make declarations unless they are prepared to put all the info in the public domain.
I think there are actually 2 parts to this problem.
1 is the perennial issue of NALC / CALC being ‘precious’ about info which originates from them percolating its way to unsubscribed councils and second that they simply don’t have the brainpower to move from 1 position to the next as the prevailing circumstances change.
Abysmal really.