US disaster planners put Dudley borough council on the case

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/19/ndudley19.xml

The American Secret Service has turned to an unlikely ally to help in its war against terrorism: Dudley borough council.

Andrew Sparke, the council's chief executive, was flown to the White House to meet senior officials impressed with the Black Country council's plans to handle a major emergency. Homeland Security officers were particularly interested in its ideas for working with the private sector to deal with the bodies of victims.

While the September 11 attacks on America in 2001 and Hurricane Katrina last year claimed more than 5,000 lives, the only major problem to hit Dudley in recent years was an earthquake in 2002 in which no one died. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has 3,000 employees and a budget of $1 billion, whereas Dudley's emergency planning team consists of three and has a budget of around £250,000.

Nevertheless, Mr Sparke said his council was able to teach the Americans a few things, as well as getting some good ideas from them. The meeting of minds came about after he drafted in the Co-operative Funeral Services to help deal with bodies in an emergency.