Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors D Franks and J Gambold.

Councillor Atkins apologised for being unable to attend the meeting in person.

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).

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary and other interests.

Pay Negotiations

The Chair referred to discussions with the Fire Brigades Union regarding the ongoing national pay negotiations.

Fire Station Open Days

The Chair thanked all Members who had supported the Open Days held over the summer.

White Paper

The Chair reported that he and the Chief Fire Officer had met with Richard Fuller, MP to update him on the latest developments in the Service such as our collaboration with the East of England Ambulance Service; and to discuss the Government’s White Paper on ‘Reforming our Fire Service’, outlining the Authority’s views on the proposed changes in governance in particular. The discussion also covered the national pay negotiations and the need for proper investment in the fire and rescue service. Meetings with the other MPs representing areas of Bedfordshire are being arranged.

General Communication

The Chair continued to circulate information and communications to Members of the Authority as and when they were received.

Governance Review

The Chair thanked all those who took part in the morning’s exercise.

Lord Lieutenant’s Service of Thanksgiving

The Chief Fire Officer advised that he and Councillor McVicar had attended the Lord Lieutenant’s Service of Thanksgiving held on 4 September 2022 to celebrate the retirement of Mrs Helen Nellis, CVO and the appointment of Mrs Susan Lousada, DL to the post.

Fundraising for the Firefighter’s Charity

The Chief Fire Officer reported that a letter had been received from the Firefighter’s Charity thanking the Service for raising over £63,000 in support of the Charity’s work.

Quarterly Shout Out

The quarterly shout out, which had replaced the information bulletin, would soon be circulated to all Members. This document would form the basis of the reports to the constituent authorities and looked both forwards and backwards at future plans and past achievements and performance.

To confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2022 

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Authority held on 20 July 2022 be confirmed as a true record.

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

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).

To receive the minutes of the Audit and Standards Committee meeting held on 14 July 2022

Members received the Minutes of the informal meeting of the Audit and Standards Committee held on 14 July 2022 for information.

As the Committee continued to meet remotely, the Authority was required to ratify all decisions made by the Committee as set out in the Minutes.

Councillor Atkins introduced the Minutes and highlighted the following:

• Councillor Berry had been appointed as Vice-Chair of the Committee.
• The Committee’s terms of reference had been approved with no amendments proposed.
• In receiving the external audit year-end report, it was noted that EY could not commit to specific dates for the completion of the audit of the Statement of Account due to ongoing resourcing issues.
• Neil Harris, who had managed the audits on behalf of EY, had accepted a role outside the organisation and EY was hoping to appoint a successor in advance of the Committee’s next meeting.
• There were no implications arising from lower than expected land valuations as the Service had no current intentions to sell any of its property assets.
• The Committee received the draft Statement of Accounts and Annual Governance Statement and a Member briefing would be arranged in advance of the formal submission of the accounts post-audit.
• A report from EY on its quality assurance processes had provided assurance to the Committee that these were effective.
• A positive internal audit report had been received. The Committee had provisionally approved four extensions to completion dates and these would require ratification by the Authority.
• In reviewing the Code of Conduct, it was pleasing to note that no complaints had been lodged against Members of the Authority. The Committee had recommended that the LGA Model Code of Conduct not be adopted at this time, although it was suggested that this could be reviewed the following year.
• A comprehensive report on the Service’s Corporate Risk Register had been considered.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the Minutes of the meeting of the Audit and Standards Committee held on 14 July 2022 be received.

2.         That the decisions made by the Committee be ratified by the Fire Authority, with particular note being given to the extension requests to completion dates and the Committee’s proposal not to adopt the Local Government Association’s Model Code of Conduct at this time.

The Authority received a report asking it to appoint a Monitoring Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority in order to comply with section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

The Chair thanked the current Secretary and Monitoring Officer, Mr J Atkinson, for his years of service to the Authority and wished him a well-deserved retirement.

RESOLVED:

That the appointment of Mr Graham Britten as Monitoring Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority, in accordance with section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, from the 9th September 2022 be confirmed.

To consider a report

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer presented the Annual Report for 2021/22. This document set out the performance of the Service from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 and was prefaced with a welcome and the Service’s values before summarising the highlights of each month during the year.

In presenting the report, the Assistant Chief Fire Officer drew Members’ attention to the following:

·       Road Traffic Collisions (RTCs) had increased by 16% from the previous year to 398, with outdoor bonfires decreasing by 21% and building fires by 5%.

·       There were 252 accidental dwelling fires during the year, a 24% reduction when compared to the five-year average and a 15% reduction from the previous year.

·       There had been one fire death during the year, which was a reduction on the previous year, with a comparable number serious injuries and outpatient injuries to previous year.

·       The Service had responded to 1,804 automatic fire alarms, a significant increase of 227 from the previous year.

·       The number of road injuries and fatalities remained consistent with figures recorded over the five-year period, with 2020/21 being an outlier as fewer people were travelling as a result of the pandemic.

·       A total of 8,443 Safe and Well Visits had been conducted in the year. Whilst this was below the stretch target of 10,000, it was the highest number of visits ever conducted by the Service. This included 2,397 doorstep visits and 616 telephone consultations.

·       270 safeguarding referrals had been made, 208 directly as the result of Safe and Well visits.

·       To combat arson when there was an identifiable threat, 259 arson proof letter boxes had been installed during the year.

·       There had been an increase in deliberate fires from 430 in 2020/21 to 565 in 2021/22, although this was still under the five year average.

·       The Service continued to actively engage with partners in relation to road safety. Examples of this included participation in “Survive the Drive” at Chicksands, the development of a training package for Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) National Observers in partnership with Herts & Beds Advanced Motorists and assisting the Police in delivering “Bike Safe”.

·       A road safety vehicle with built in virtual reality was being produced and would hopefully be available by the end of the year.

·       The Service had been involved with the installation of six water safety boards at the Forest of Marston Vale to improve water safety.

·       22 young people fascinated with fire had been supported by the Service to change their behaviour.

·       24 fire cadets had been recruited in October/November 2021 with three centres at Luton, Leighton Buzzard and Sandy. Another unit had been formed later in that year in Bedford, bringing the total number of cadets up to 32.

·       A total of 3,288 audits and inspections had been conducted during 2021/22, an increase of 71% compared to the previous year. This included 647 audits of which 243 were to high risk premises. 20 prohibition notices had been served; this was the highest number to date. Fines totalling £40,000  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22-23/FRA/39

To consider a report

The Assistant Chief Officer and Treasurer presented the Authority’s Statement of Assurance for 2021/22. As the Statement had not been submitted as normal practice through the Audit and Standards Committee prior to its submission to the full Authority for approval, Members were asked if they were satisfied that they could consider the report and approve it at the meeting or it they wished to approve it in principle subject to further scrutiny by the Audit and Standards Committee at its next meeting.

The Statement of Assurance covered the three following areas: finance, governance and operational assurance, and was very similar in content to the Annual Governance Statement that was produced in conjunction with the annual Statement of Accounts. Therefore, consideration would be given to whether these two documents could be combined, taking into account this may not be possible due to timescales involved in the production of the Statement of Accounts and the audit process.

The Monitoring Officer advised that, as the Audit and Standards Committee, if meeting virtually, would not be able to approve the Statement, and any decision would have to be referred back to the Authority for ratification.

Members agreed that the Authority would be able to approve the Statement at this meeting, as Members of the Audit and Standards Committee were present and part of the full Authority.

RESOLVED:

1.       That the contents of the Statement of Assurance for 2021/22 be acknowledged.

2.       That the Statement of Assurance be approved and published on the Service’s website.

To consider a report

Members received a summary of organisational performance at the end of the first quarter of the current financial year. These included some of the changes that had been agreed at the previous meeting of the Authority (Minute 22-23/fa/030 refers).

In response to a question on how the response standards were reported against in this report, the Chief Fire Officer advised that some amendments had been made to improve the visibility of the performance indicators relating to those standards and that the narrative had been updated to make it easier to understand. As there was a difference in how response was measured by the Service (as set out in the response standards) and by the Inspectorate, the response standards may need to be revisited in future. For example, the current response standards set a target of attending 80% of critical (primary) fires responded to within 10 minutes, measured from the time a fire appliance is alerted by Control whilst HMICFRS measure response times from the time the first 999 call is received by our Control Room. In summary, the reporting of indicators in this area were still evolving in order for them to be more reflective of the Service’s published response standards.

Prevention

As previously discussed under the Annual Report item, the Deputy Chief Fire Officer reported on the rise in arson incidents and a particular spate of events in Luton in April 2022. Given the extreme weather experienced during the summer and the corresponding increase in number of events attended, it was unlikely that a downward trend would be reported for the next quarter.

There had been a decrease in the number of Safe and Well visits conducted as staff were directed to a high volume of operational incidents. A volunteer manager had recently been appointed and it was envisaged that, in future, volunteers and third sector organisations could be trained to conduct the visits on behalf of the Service to increase capacity.  It was also recognised that the target measuring the number of Safe and Well visits delivered was a stretch target and that the Service had conducted more visits in this reporting period than in had done during the whole year of 2016/17.

Area Commander I Evans added that the community risk analysis recently undertaken had identified that those households most at risk of accidental dwelling fires, poorer pensioners, were also the group that was most likely to be the subject of Safe and Well visits.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer referred to the work of the Falls Team in identifying and supporting individuals in this cohort.

Protection

National shortages in qualified fire protection officers had impacted on the ability of the Service to recruit to vacant posts in this area. However, a recent recruitment exercise had been successful and the Service was beginning the process of training and upskilling staff to take on these roles.

Area Commander I Evans advised that four new staff, two Grey Book and two Green Book staff, had recently started in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22-23/FRA/41

To consider a report

The Assistant Chief Officer and Treasurer introduced a report setting out the forecast year-end budget monitoring position as at 31 July 2022.

In introducing the report, the Assistant Chief Officer and Treasurer highlighted the following:

• Following a request made at the previous meeting, it was proposed that the unbudgeted Business Rates Relief income of £392,000 be allocated to offset both the in-year inflationary pressures and a reduction in ICT Firelink grant.
• Pay awards for both Green and Grey Book staff had not yet been agreed and it was suggested that the earmarked reserve be used to fund these.
• There were increased budgetary pressures arising from inflation and the rising cost of gas. This was now at 60% above budgeted levels. It was anticipated that the CPI rate would rise to 14.5% by January 2023.
• The forecast income from investments was £80,000 above the levels reported at previous meetings. The Service had recently invested £4 million in environmental, social and governance (esg) investments following due diligence into the green credentials of the fund.
• The report included the salary and non-salary budget forecasts. It was noted that the salary budget forecasts did not include all on call payments.
• Only two projects in the Capital Programme had been reported as amber, with the rest on target.

RESOLVED:

1.         That the updates provided within this report be acknowledged.

2.         That the proposed use of the unbudgeted Business Rates Relief income from central government, as set out in paragraph 2.3.4 of the report, be approved.

3.         That the potential unbudgeted increase for both Grey and Green Book pay awards built into the salaries forecast in

table 2 and use of an Earmarked Reserve to fund these, as set out in paragraph 2.3.76 of the report, be noted.

4.         That the updated inflationary pressure on Utilities budgets which has increased from a forecast 40% above budget

to 60% above budget, resulting in an extra £40,000 pressure from the last monitoring report, as set out in paragraph 2.3.4 of the report, be noted.

5.         That the increase in forecast income from investments from £55,000 above budget reported at the end of May 2022 to

£135,000 as at the end of July due to greatly improved rates available on investments, as set out in paragraph 2.3.4 of the report, be noted.

Verbal update

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer gave a presentation on the results of a staff survey undertaken earlier in the year as well as the recent meeting of the Cost of Living Taskforce.

The survey had been conducted in April 2022 and ran for 29 days. 28% of staff, or 164 individuals across the organisation, responded to the survey. Suggestions on actions that the Service could take to support staff with the cost of living arising from the survey included changing the CPD uplift to an annual payment, offering access to discount schemes and offering access to independent legal and financial advice and access to private medical treatment.

44 suggestions had been submitted as a result of the Cost of Living Taskforce meeting. These were very similar to those listed above, with the addition of the possible provision of affordable takeaway meals for purchase from the mess deck, the provision of childcare during the school holidays and the creation of a hardship fund. A more flexible approach to hybrid working and access to a pool of electric bikes to travel to meetings were also suggested.

As a result of these discussions, a discount for the use of leisure facilities had been negotiated through Active Luton. The Service had also committed to paying the cost of IFE exams. Individual support and advice was provided to certain members of staff following the meeting by HR. The current Employee Assistance Programme had been promoted internally and a special edition of the Blue Bulletin had been circulated on 5 September which included information and advice for staff. Financial wellbeing had now been included as an item for consideration of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Group.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer stated that the Service would be assessing the recommendations and their associated costs so it could determine the level of additional support that it would be able to provide. Government announcements would be monitored and information passed on as and when it was provided.

Members recognised the importance of good financial education and supporting members of staff in understanding the difference between wants and needs.

Councillor Burnett commented that “The Richest Man in Babylon”, available on YouTube, was a good resource and that staff could be signposted to this. The Chair suggested that Macmillan was also providing information and guidance and this should be investigated by the Service.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer advised that a representative of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau would be attending the next staff engagement meeting.

RESOLVED:

To consider a report

Members received an update on progress with Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) planning and the summer survey results.

The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised that Members would be presented with a summary of the latest community risk analysis at the Member Development Day scheduled for 6 October 2022.

RESOLVED:

That the content of the report be acknowledged.

To consider a report

Councillor Headley gave a presentation on digital, data and technology and highlighted the project to update the Service’s website. This would improve its content, effectiveness and accessibility. It was anticipated that the updated website would go live early in the New Year and Members would be updated on progress.

It was also noted that 84% of staff had completed the recommended cyber security training.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be received.

To consider a report

Members received the proposed work programme for 2022/23.

The Chief Fire Officer introduced Lauren Fair, the new Business Support Manager, to Members of the Authority. He advised that a report on immediate detriment would be prepared for the October meeting of the Executive Committee.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Authority would be held on 31 October 2022.

RESOLVED:

That the work programme for 2022/23 be received and the ‘cyclical’ agenda Items for each meeting in 2022/23 be noted.