Agenda item

To consider item 16

The Lead Member for People, Equality and Diversity and Assurance, thanked the previous post holder for his integrity and professionalism for the work he had undertaken whilst in the role.

The Lead Member for People, Equality and Diversity and Assurance introduced the report and advised Members that in June 2020 the Authority approved the overarching EDI Objectives 2020 to 2025 set out against elements of the Authority’s core values – Diversity, Service to the Community, Improvement and People. This report was to update on progress made on EDI throughout the year and the EDI objectives.

The Head of Human Resources advised Members that Appendix 1 provided an introduction to the statutory duties outlined by the prevailing legislation and the overarching objectives. Appendix 2 showed the proposed EDI objectives, which had been revised to continue the strong focused approach on EDI work and alignment to the Corporate Plan priorities and the HMICFRS report recommendations.

The Head of Human Resources advised Members that regarding the first objective ‘Change 100 Internship’, officers had been working with Leonard Cheshire, an external provider who support people with disabilities to come into the workplace for a period of three months. This was an opportunity for the individuals and also the Service.

Appendix 3 illustrated the EDI workforce data in the form of charts in comparison to the latest census data (2011) for the population of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. The diversity of the workforce was broken down into wholetime, on call and support staff who were encouraged to disclose their protected characteristics, the data was used to inform the EDI strategies. Further work was planned on this area. The EDI workforce data was presented to ensure it was inclusive and could be viewed by individuals who find it hard to distinguish between different colours. The current data set had been reported for a number of years and the way the data was collected and presented was being refreshed, and this would help inform the objective setting. Appendix 4 provided a summary of EDI headlines.

A Member stated that a lot of work was being undertaken, but he felt that benchmarking was not reflected in the report, and it would be interesting to compare progress with other Authorities as an objective measure.

The Head of Human Resources advised that there was a lot of collaboration undertaken with other fire and rescue services, but it was something that could be looked at in terms of EDI data. With regard to protected characteristics, some people were not comfortable, for whatever reason, submitting this information, and work was ongoing, trying to ensure people understood why it was important to share this information, not just when joining the organisation, but to continue to update the information.

A Member who had attended the recent apprentice graduation felt that although there was some diversity, there was a lack of gender diversity and although there were now measures in place to work with women who did not get through the interview process due to the physical elements, it would be better to be working with them before the process began and include this within the objectives and action plans. Talking to schools about recruitment was not reflected in the EDI objectives and also Fire Authority Members should be reflected in the EDI data capture.

The Head of Human Resources advised that there were ‘have a go’ days that took place throughout the year, and also separate female ‘have a go’ days. With the last cohort of apprentices who had just graduated, all those who were not successful in the role related tests, were given the opportunity to come back and try again and also given plans on how they could improve. A review had been carried out on the role related tests, and changes had been made to ensure the right testing was in place.

The Head of Human Resources advised Members that the Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Director of Finance and Assets would be visiting a school the day after the Annual Meeting to talk about a career within the fire and rescue service, not just operationally, but support services as well. Officers had also been attending apprentice and career fairs throughout Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

The former Lead Member for People, Equality and Diversity and Assurance wanted to put on record his thanks for all the officers who he had worked with over the past few years for doing such a great job.

A Member asked what kind of role would the person from Leonard Cheshire be coming into and was advised that a role in the marketing and communications team or the human resources team was being considered.

The Chairman asked the Lead Member for People, Equality and Diversity and Assurance to work with the Head of Human Resources to look at all the data collected and how it could be presented in future.

RESOLVED –

1.                  That the contents of the report, EDI objectives for 2020-2025 in Appendix 1 and EDI workforce data in Appendix 3 and BMKFA headlines in Appendix 4 be noted.

2.                  The revised EDI objectives 2022/2023 in Appendix be approved.