Meeting documents

To consider Item 8

The Chairman advised Members that he had attended the inaugural meeting of the Thames Valley Collaboration Joint Steering Committee that had been set up with Oxfordshire and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Services and the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Director of Legal and Governance advised Members that the origin of this report was the June meeting of the Authority when Members considered the proposals put forward by the Thames Valley Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner. This report provided more detail about the parts of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 which cover (a) Police and Crime Commissioner’s powers to become a Fire and Rescue Authority or to become a voting member on an Authority; and (b) the duties on an Authority to collaborate with the police and ambulance services. Alongside this, the report was intended to update Members on events since its June meeting.

The Director of Legal and Governance advised that at the June meeting, Members made various observations about the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposals and these were reflected in the letter from the Chief Fire Officer which was sent on the 12 June 2017. In the discussion that led to the Chief Fire Officer being directed to write to the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner (TVPCC), a Member asked if the TVPCC could impose a change of governance onto the Authority. It was explained that this was not the case. The Home Office had now published details about the Independent Assessment Process (IAP) which would inform the Secretary of State’s decision.

The Director of Legal and Governance did not take Members in detail through the IAP as the issue had been rendered somewhat academic in light of the statement issued by the TVPCC on 16 August 2017 in which the Police and Crime Commissioner stated that "following a meeting last week between myself, the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and representatives from the fire and rescue authorities we have agreed that we will not be actively pursuing any governance changes in the foreseeable future". Reference was made to the regulations yet to be made which would enable the TVPCC to become a voting member on the Authority. The TVPCC’s expressed view was that "This was not considered to be of significant benefit in itself." 

The Director of Legal and Governance brought to Members attention the exchange of correspondence between the Chief Fire Officer and the Home Office.  In light of the Home Office’s stated intention to bring forward the regulations to change the Authority’s constitution this autumn, the Chief Fire Officer was highlighting in his correspondence that their consultation timeline was wholly unrealistic. If the Home Office were proposing to bring forward legislation, the only meaningful consultation it could have was with the Authority itself. The Home Office had responded saying it had taken the points into account. It was already autumn and there was no consultation as yet.

The Director of Legal and Governance advised Members that the duty under the Policing and Crime Act for the Authority to collaborate with the police and ambulance services comprised of four stages. The first stage for the Authority was the duty to keep collaboration opportunities under review with at least one of the two other blue light services. The second stage was that where an emergency service identified an opportunity, it had a duty to notify the other emergency services of the proposed collaboration. It then triggers the third stage, a duty to consider whether the proposed collaboration would be in the interests of the proposed parties and finally stage four was if two of more of the emergency services considered it would be in their interest, there was a duty to enter into a collaboration agreement.

A Member asked if as well as collaborating with other blue light services, the Authority collaborates wider i.e. with other local authorities and was advised that yes the Authority does and these would be covered in the Partnership Register report that was being presented to a future meeting of the Executive Committee.

RESOLVED –

That the report be noted.