Agenda item

To consider Item 18

Minutes:

The Head of Prevention, Response and Resilience advised Members that the Authority’s inspection had concluded in the Summer of 2019 and the report was released in December 2019.

           

The inspection is formed of consideration against three pillars, effectiveness, efficiency and people. Depending on the matters found, and considering a whole range of evidence, the inspection team give a judgement against each of those pillars. The Authority achieved a judgement of requiring improvement for both effectiveness and efficiency and a good for people. The report may suggest areas for improvement, a cause for concern, and recommendations. If a cause for concern is identified, it would always be accompanied by identified recommendations. In the Authority’s report there were eleven identified areas for improvement, one cause for concern which was accompanied by two recommendations.

           

The Head of Prevention, Response and Resilience advised Members that the Authority received a letter in March 2020, confirming that all inspection work would be suspended and would recommence towards the latter part of this year and the earlier part of next year.

           

The Chief Fire Officer was a member of the HMICFRS External Reference Group (ERG), formed of representatives from the Home Office, Local Government Association, Police Fire and Crime Commissioners, National Fire Chiefs Council and the HMICFRS Portfolio team. The ERG was a mechanism through which HMICFRS test the effectiveness and impact of the inspection regime. At the last ERG meeting on 12 May 2020 HMICFRS discussed the possibility of a Covid-19 related inspection for fire and rescue services and early discussion took place around what shape that inspection may take.

           

A Member asked about the service understanding the reasons for its reducing number of prevention visits and considering how it can better target those who are most at risk of fire and was advised that the approach being taken was to continue to deliver core activities, but to keep it under review, and the package delivered to the public would include a more integrated approach between prevention, response and protection activity and how to assist communities to help themselves.

           

A Member asked about the plan to increase the number of  operational wholetime firefighters, against the concerns of HMICFRS that there wasn’t sufficient finance and was advised by the Director of Finance and Assets that in terms of the budget setting for this year, a zero based budget approach had been taken, and this had enabled the Authority to locate savings across a number of areas which enabled it to increase its wholetime establishment from 260 to 280 which was effective from 1 April 2020.

           

A Member asked that with the current constraints on income would the Home Office still have the same commitment to continue to carry out inspections to the same high standards. The Member was advised that whilst the additional responsibility for fire and rescue had only been in place since early 2018, the Home Office’s commitment to inspection regimes was enduring, and expected to continue.

           

RESOLVED –

 

That the current position regarding HMICFRS Inspection Programme, and the BFRS Inspection Improvement Plan be noted.

Supporting documents: