Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7NR. View directions

Items
No. Item

18-19/FRA/1

Apologies

Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from Councillor D Franks.

18-19/FRA/2

Membership

Minutes:

The Secretary and Monitoring Officer reported that there had been no changes to the membership from the previous year.

18-19/FRA/3

Election of Chair 2018/19

Minutes:

In accordance with the Authority’s Standing Orders, the Secretary and Monitoring Officer presided over the election of Chair.

 

Councillor Downing was nominated for the position of Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authorityby Councillor Saleem and this was seconded by Councillor Atkins. As there were no other nominations for the role, Councillor Downing was duly elected as the Chair of the Authority for the ensuing municipal year.

 

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Downing be elected Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority for 2018/19.

Last year’s Chair, Councillor Atkins thanked Officers and Members for their support last year and in turn Councillor Downing thanked Councillor Atkins for her year’s work too.

Councillor Downing advised that, as Chair, he was not going to propose a Vice Chair as he felt it was only right for Members to vote amongst themselves.  He also referred to the upcoming challenge of the HMICFRS process and the opportunity to consider aligning the Policy and Challenge Groups to the HMICFRS inspection goals of Effectiveness, Efficiency and People.  On this, the Monitoring Officer reminded the Authority that earlier in the year the Corporate Services Policy and Challenge Group had requested a review of Governance, which was on-going. 

With Council Elections due to be held in May 2019, Councillor Downing questioned the position of the Authority when Members were between a) their local elections and b) nominated by their Authorities to be FRA Members.  The CFO advised that it would depend on the timing of the Annual Meeting; the Chief, Monitoring Officer and Treasurer may become the Authority for urgent matters but most things would be deferred until the new Authority was in place.

 

18-19/FRA/4

Election of Vice Chair 2018/19

Minutes:

Councillors Atkins (proposed by Councillor Waheed and seconded by Councillor Khan), Chatterley (proposed by Councillor McVicar and seconded by Councillor Duckett) and Saleem (proposed by Councillor Saleem and seconded by Councillor Chapman) were nominated for the position of Vice-Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority.

 

Following two secret ballots, Councillor Chatterley received an overall majority of the votes cast and was duly elected as Vice-Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority for the ensuing municipal year.

 

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Chatterley be elected Vice-Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority for 2018/19.

18-19/FRA/5

Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary and Other Interests

Members are requested to disclose the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interest and any other interests as required by the Fire Authority’s Code of Conduct (see note below).

Minutes:

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary and other interests.

18-19/FRA/6

Communications

Minutes:

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Andrew Hopkinson

 

The new Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Andrew (Andy) Hopkinson, was welcomed formally to his first meeting of the Authority.

 

HMICFRS Inspection

 

The Chair reported on the meeting between Chairs and Chief Fire Officers of Fire and Rescue Services and members of the national inspection team. Areas of focus would be efficiency and effectiveness, the Service’s People Strategy, governance and finances.

 

The Chief Fire Officer advised that the Service had submitted its self-assessment, which was tabled for Members’ information and had been published on the Service intranet. The strategic assessment had also been completed and he thanked everyone involved in the process.

 

Fire and Rescue National Framework for England

 

The Chief Fire Officer advised that the Government had recently published the revised National Framework and that the Authority would receive a report on the resulting implications for the Service at a future meeting.

 

Hackitt Review

 

The Chief Fire Officer reported on the publication of the final report on the review of building regulations and fire safety following the fire at Grenfell Tower. The report set out a new regulatory framework, with particular focus on high risk high-rise properties. Members were reminded that all high-rise properties in Bedfordshire had been inspected post-Grenfell and no major safety concerns had been identified.

 

The Authority would receive a report on the review and its implications for the Service at a future meeting.

 

Voices

 

The Assistant Chief Officer thanked Councillors Atkins and Waheed for attending the Service’s launch of a new internal support network on Idaho Day, the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

 

Information on the network was tabled for Members’ information.

 

 

Fire Services Commission Meeting

 

The Chair reported on the meeting of the Fire Services Commission that he and Councillor Atkins had attended with the Deputy Chief Fire Officer.

 

The Chief Fire Officer confirmed that the Fire Services Forum no longer existed and would therefore no longer need to be appointed to.

18-19/FRA/7

Minutes pdf icon PDF 91 KB

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 26 April 2018 be confirmed and signed as a true record, subject to the amendment of Philip Wells’ title to Assistant Chief Officer, Finance and Business Support, on page 8.

18-19/FRA/8

Public Participation

To receive any questions put to the Authority under the Public Participation Scheme

Minutes:

Members noted that no questions had been received in accordance with the public participation scheme approved at the meeting of the Fire and Rescue Authority held on 5 April 2000 (Minute 99/fa/94 refers).

18-19/FRA/9

Authorisation of Members to Report to the Constituent Councils on Meetings of the Fire and Rescue Authority pdf icon PDF 58 KB

To consider a report

Minutes:

The Secretary and Monitoring Officer submitted his report which set out the arrangements for reporting to the constituent Councils on meetings of the Fire and Rescue Authority during 2018/19.

 

RESOLVED:

That Councillors Downing, Mingay and Waheed be authorised to report to their respective constituent Councils on meetings of the Fire and Rescue Authority during 2018/19.

18-19/FRA/10

Representation on the Audit and Standards Committee, Policy and Challenge Groups etc in 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 82 KB

To consider a report

Minutes:

The Secretary and Monitoring Officer introduced his report which sought Member representation on the Fire and Rescue Authority’s Audit and Standards Committee, Service Delivery, Corporate Services and Human Resources Policy and Challenge Groups and to represent the Fire and Rescue Authority on Local Strategic Partnerships and the Blue Light Collaboration Group.

 

It was agreed that a review of the Committee structure be undertaken during the forthcoming year, including consideration for the provision of substitute Members.

 

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Membership of committees for 2018/19 be agreed as follows:

 

Audit and Standards Committee

Councillor Chapman

Councillor Chatterley

Councillor Downing

Councillor Duckett

Councillor Headley (Chair)

Councillor Waheed

 

Corporate Services Policy and Challenge Group

Councillor Chapman (Chair)

Councillor Downing

Councillor Duckett

Councillor Headley

Councillor McVicar

Councillor Saleem

 

Human Resources Policy and Challenge Group

 

 

Councillor Atkins 

Councillor Franks

Councillor Khan

Councillor Mingay

Councillor Saleem

Councillor Waheed (Chair)

Service Delivery Policy and Challenge Group

Councillor Atkins

Councillor Chatterley

Councillor Franks

Councillor Khan

Councillor McVicar

Councillor Mingay (Chair)

 

2.         That Membership of the Local Strategic Partnerships for 2018/19 be confirmed as follows:

 

Bedford

Central Bedfordshire

Luton

Councillor J Mingay

Councillor P Downing

Councillor Y Waheed

 

3.         That Councillor McVicar be elected as the Member representative on the Blue Light Collaboration Group.

 

18-19/FRA/11

Decision Making between Meetings, Briefings etc pdf icon PDF 73 KB

To consider a report

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Secretary and Monitoring Officer presented his report which set out arrangements for decision-making between meetings and related matters, including proposals to formally establish an Executive Committee to exercise these functions on behalf of the Authority.

 

In response to a question, the Secretary and Monitoring Officer confirmed that if the Executive Committee met to make decisions, these meetings would be held in public.

 

RESOLVED:

That the establishment of an Executive Committee be approved with the constitution as set out in an appendix to the report.

18-19/FRA/12

Representation on Local Government Association (LGA) Matters pdf icon PDF 67 KB

To consider a report

Minutes:

The Secretary and Monitoring Officer introduced his report on the appointment of representatives to serve on Local Government Association (LGA) groups and to consider representation at the LGA Annual Fire Conference in March 2019.

 

As previously advised by the Chief Fire Officer, appointment to the Fire Services Forum was not required as this group had been replaced by the Fire Services Commission.

 

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Chair and Vice Chair be appointed to serve on the LGA General Assembly.

2.         That the Chair and Vice Chair be appointed to serve on the Bedfordshire and Luton Branch of the LGA in 2018/19, with no named substitutes.

3.         That the Chair be appointed as the Fire and Rescue Authority’s representative on the LGA Fire Services Commission with the Vice Chair as substitute.

4.         That the Chair, Vice Chair and Chief Fire Officer attend the LGA Annual Fire Conference on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Authority in March 2019.

18-19/FRA/13

Member Development pdf icon PDF 94 KB

To consider a report

Minutes:

The Chief Fire Officer presented his report on the arrangements for Member development, including station visits, in 2018/19. He reminded Members that they were able to request items for discussion at Member Development Days.

 

The Chair requested that information on the Service’s use of the Fire Service College be circulated to Members prior to the Member visit to the College on 20 June 2018.

 

It was also suggested that feedback from the HMICFRS inspection could be presented to Members as part of the Member Development Day on 31 October 2018.

 

RESOLVED:

1.         That the arrangements for Member development in 2018/19 be confirmed.

2.         That Councillor Duckett be nominated to attend the LGA Fire Leadership Essentials Programme on 18 and 19 October 2018 at Warwick Conference Centre, Coventry.

3.         That the Chair and Vice Chair be nominated to represent the Authority at the full Combined Fire Authorities’ conference in Milton Keynes on 11 October 2018 with all Members being given the opportunity to attend the day event.