Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

Performance Review Committee

Item 5

19^th June 2003

Best Value Review of Catering - Progress Report (3)

Report of the Chief Fire Officer

Contact:

Philip Webb, Performance Review Manager

Tel: 023 8064 4000 Ext 3951

1

Summary - Background

1.1

The HFRA Best Value Committee met on 11.12.02 to consider the final report of the Service Catering Best Value Review Group. The committee resolved that:

`The catering review team, together with the Chairman of the Committee (Councillor Kirk), reconsider the outcomes of the scoping review of catering, with the exception of those relating to emergency catering, with the aim of ensuring a greater degree of challenge, equality and fairness and further report to the committee'.

At a full HFRA meeting on 5.2 03, members decided to amend this decision to include emergency catering provisions in the review of the original report.

2

Work in Hand

2.1

The original working group, augmented by Councillor Kirk and ADO Mick Gass from HFRS Performance Review Team, reconvened for its first meeting on 17.2.03.

2.2

Meetings have now been held on 17.2.03 and 14.4.03. Further research and information gathering continues on such areas as:

· Emergency catering provisions for other emergency services such as RNLI and the Coast Guard

· Costing of returning to the old Winchester based emergency catering arrangements

· The funding, tendering and contract arrangements for headquarters catering

· Temporary contracts for station cooks

· Further comparisons with other brigades on the provisions and costs of emergency catering

· Accessing results of other brigades Best Value reviews into catering

· Options for one cook to cover more than one station

· The contracting out of watch based catering to a supplier of ready prepared meals

· The contracting out of emergency catering

· The impact of `New Dimensions' commitments and response on emergency catering

· The cost of the current `Spoilt meals' claims

3

Future Meetings

3.1

The next meeting is programmed for 9^th June 2003.

4

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

4.1

The proposals within this report are compatible with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 and considered in the light of the Race Relations (amendment) Act 2000.

Recommendations

That the Committee approves the action taken to date.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose the facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of the report.

None

NB The list excludes:

1 Published works

2 Documents that disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act