Introduction The current UK spending cuts have brought into stark light the need for the Public Sector to do more with less. A lower cost but more engaged Public Sector is embodied in the political vision of a “Big Society” which seeks to build on individual and community resilience. Knowledge of what community resilience resources are available however, is incomplete.

Methods This study presents the findings from a community resilience mapping exercise undertaken in the spring of 2011, using routine data in Brighton and Hove. The Well-being and Resilience Measure (WARM) Tool was used to map out the epidemiology of community resilience in eight domains:

• Education

• Health

• Material well-being

• Strong and stable families

• Local economy

• Public services

• Crime and antisocial behaviour

• Infrastructure and belonging

Results A series of electoral ward maps with some time trends describes community resilience in these eight domains with reference to four population groups.

• Children and young people

• Working age adults

• Older people

• Natural community groups

Conclusions We believe that this is the first time a Public Sector organisation (NHS Brighton and Hove) in England has comprehensively mapped local resilience using routine data. The approach is timely and the findings are key to understanding the public capacity to deliver the political vision of a ‘Big Society' and to implement the 2010 Public Health White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People”, which explicitly seeks to “give communities the tools to address their own, particular needs”.