Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY PERFORMANCE REVIEW COMMITTEE held at Hampshire Fire Brigade Headquarters, Eastleigh on Wednesday 4 February 2004.

PRESENT:

Councillors D A Kirk (Chairman); Mrs E S M Barron; Mrs A E Bailey; M F Cartwright; K Chapman

53 APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor J Stocks.

54 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or personal prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should, normally at the time of the debate, declare their interest and, having regard to the circumstances described in paragraphs 9, 10, 11 and 12 of the Fire Authority's Code of Conduct, consider whether to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed.

54 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on Friday, 10 October 2003 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

55 NATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY: REPORT OF FINDINGS FOR HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Fire Officer (Item 5 in the Minute Book refers) detailing the findings of the 2003 Public Opinion Survey.

      It was noted that the findings of the survey would be a useful supplement to the public consultation exercises carried out as part of the Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) process.

      RESOLVED:

      That the report be noted.

56 PROGRAMME OF BEST VALUE REVIEWS

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Fire Officer (Item 6 in the Minute Book refers) reconsidering the programme of Best Value Reviews taking into account: issues emerging within the regional context; the Authority's current position in terms of its future strategic aims and objectives, as well as its capacity to undertake Best Value Reviews during 2004/05.

    The Committee discussed undertaking a review of Vehicle Maintenance, and considered that in the circumstances it was appropriate to defer this review for later consideration.

    The Committee were also updated on discussions concerning development proposals at the headquarters site which included the possible relocation of the Vehicle Workshops to the headquarters site. In such circumstances it was suggested that a Best Value Review of Vehicle Workshops would be useful in determining the business case for the project.


    RESOLVED:

    That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the Authority:

      (i) That the South East Forum be asked to consider the scope and possible benefits of progressing the six areas for collaboration (as set out in the draft national framework) as potential joint and/or cross cutting Best Value Reviews, and that the Authority offer its full co-operation in any regional, joint or cross cutting reviews.

      (ii) That no additional Best Value Reviews be carried out during 2004/05 in view of the need to concentrate attention and significant resources on: the further development of the Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan and `Year 1' actions/reviews arising from it; the review of the Authority's Corporate Plan; preparation for Comprehensive Performance Assessment; and the need to participate in developing the six areas for regional collaboration (and possible regional Best Value Reviews that might emerge).

      (iii) That a review of Vehicle Maintenance be deferred for later consideration.

57 REPORT ON A GRIEVANCE BY A STATION COOK IN RELATION TO THE BEST VALUE REVIEW OF CATERING

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Fire Officer (Item 7 in the Minute Book refers) advising Members of the outcome of a stage II grievance by a Station Cook in relation to the Best Value Review of Catering, and making recommendations for the conduct of future reviews.

RESOLVED:

That for any future Best Value Reviews, consideration be given to directly consulting with employees affected where they are not adequately represented by a recognised Trade Union, and that all correspondence be sent to home addresses rather than work addresses.

58 ACTIONS TO MEET RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN PREVIOUS BEST VALUE/SCOPING REVIEWS

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Fire Officer (Item 8 in the Minute Book refers) detailing progress on the actions taken to meet the recommendations made in the Driver Training and Procurement Best Value/Scoping Reviews.

      In relation to the review of Driver Training (2.3), it was agreed that in view of the fact that minimum driving test requirements would be phased in until 2010, it was sensible to remove this from the schedule.

      It was also noted 9.8.1 would be removed from future schedules as the new reporting procedure for customer feedback had been uploaded to the web site.

      RESOLVED:

      That the actions taken towards meeting the recommendations listed in the reviews of driver training and procurement, be approved.

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