Agenda item

To consider item 10

The Chairman advised that this report outlined the process and timescales for developing the next set of Service plans that would succeed the existing Public Safety and Corporate Plans.

The Corporate Planning Manager advised Members that the current Service Plans, comprising of the five-year Public Safety and Corporate Plans, run out at the end of March 2025. Although that was a long way off, in planning cycle terms it was not, particularly in light of the feedback from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in relation to the current Public Safety Plan and also with the advent of the new Fire Standard for Community Risk Management Planning, together with an underpinning range of new risk analysis and management methodologies that were emerging. The analysis of these indicated that future planning would be a more data and resource intensive process than was previously the case. This meant the Authority needed to get the planning process underway if it was to be in a position to go live with new plans with effect from April 2025.

Appendix 1 showed an outline process and timeline for production of the new plans which would cover the period 2025-2030. These would comprise of the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), to align with the Fire Standard, and follow on Corporate Plan.

The Corporate Planning Manager advised Members that alongside the analytical and modelling work, there would be a public consultation process. The approach to this would be based on the ‘Gunning Principles’ which set out the key legal and good practice requirements for proper consultation which state they should “be conducted at a formative stage, before decisions are taken; allow sufficient time for people to participate and respond; provide stakeholders with sufficient background information to allow them to consider the issues and any proposals intelligently and critically; and, be properly taken into consideration before decisions are finally taken”.

To meet these requirements, the consultation would be conducted in two stages. The first ‘listening and engagement’ stage would be designed to explore public and other stakeholder perceptions of risk in the community, expectations of the Service and some of the potential ways that it might approach meeting the challenges that would be faced. The outcomes of this would be used to inform the development of the new CRMP which would then be subject to a full 12 week public consultation before being presented to the Authority along with the outcomes of the consultation and any recommended changes to the CRMP.

A Member asked whether, whilst the plan would run from 2025-2030, the evidential information would be looking further out than five years and also as the Authority was only two years into its current five year plan, how did the Authority ensure officers didn’t lose focus on the current one.

The Corporate Planning Manager advised that officers do look further out, the national framework plan was a minimum of a three year period, but the Authority opts for a refresh every five years, given the scale and pace of changes associated with some of the large infrastructure projects such as HS2, and all the new housing developments in the local plans.

The Chief Fire Officer assured Members that what was in the current plan was being monitored and would be delivered.

RESOLVED –

1.                  That successor plan to the 2020-2025 Public Safety Plan, be known as the ‘2025-2025 Community Risk Management Plan’.

2.                  That the provisional timescale for preparation of the 2025-2030 Community Risk Management and Corporate Plan’s be approved.

3.                  That any changes to the sequencing and timing of the 2025-2030 planning process be delegated to the Executive Committee for approval.

Councillor Stuchbury requested that his abstention be recorded in the Minutes.