AT A MEETING of the HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE held at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Eastleigh on 8 September, 2006.

PRESENT:

Councillors: K. Chapman (Chairman); M.G. Cooper; D. Horne; R.C. McIntosh;

Sam Payne.

56 APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors R.J. Baulk; Keith House and E.F. Gale.

57 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 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.

There were no declarations of interest made by members under this item.

58 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 16 June, 2006 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Pursuant to Minute 51 the Committee were given copies of the final version of the Workforce Strategy 2006/09 which had passed accessibility tests and was ready for distribution. The Workforce Action Plan had also been made more user-friendly and available to Members on request. The Action Plan provides a tool for the working group to check progress against the Workforce Strategy.

59 DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations made under this item.

60 SERVICE MANAGEMENT TEAM (SMT) PAY, REWARDS AND CAPACITY REVIEW

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 5 in the Minute Book) on the rationale for expanding the Principal Officer Pay review to examine the pay, rewards and capacity of the whole Service Management Team. This item was presented by Claire Williams, an external Human Resources specialist and a member of the review team.

The Committee highlighted the key issue of consultation within the Service. Members believed that all staff should be given the opportunity to put across their views and that effective communication of progress and outcomes was a priority. It was noted that the review would be member-led and with independent support provided by Claire Williams.

RESOLVED:

That, the membership, terms of reference and timescales as set out in the report be approved.

61 ESTABLISHMENT

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 6 in the Minute Book) setting out the authorised and actual establishment, as of 10 August 2006. The Committee appreciated the glossary of terms which officers had drawn up to clarify abbreviations used in the report.

Discussion centred around the figure for total full time equivalent (FTE) retained personnel. With 43 FTE under establishment the Committee inquired as to whether the situation was sustainable. Officers explained how retained fire stations were managed to cope with the additional demands, but re-iterated that being under establishment was not the ideal situation and could lead to extra pressure on individuals.

RESOLVED:

That, the changes to the establishment under the Chief Officer's delegated powers be noted.

62 BACK PAY - UPDATE

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 7 in the Minute Book) setting out the progress made to date on the recovery of incorrect Long Service Increment payments made since 2003.

RESOLVED:

That, the report be noted.

63 ELECTED MEMBER DEVELOPMENT

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 8 in the Minute Book) outlining the proposals of the working group for elected member development. The Committee wished to thank all those who had contributed to the project, which included Councillors Baulk and Payne and members of the Human Resources team.

RESOLVED:

a) That, development and support systems for Members in two phases be introduced as follows:

· Phase 1: Member induction and mentoring programme - commencing immediately

· Phase 2: Review of Phase 1 and Member development - in 12 months' time

b) That, members of the Corporate Management Team (CMT) receive training regarding mentoring for newly appointed Fire Authority Members. This training will be provided by the Service's Training and Development function and will be tailored to suit the availability and experience of CMT members.

64 UPDATE ON CURRENT HUMAN RESOURCES ISSUES

The Committee considered oral reports of the Chief Officer on the following items:

i) Fairness and Dignity Forum

Members were reminded of the next Fairness and Dignity Forum to be held on 25 October, 2006 at Basingstoke Fire Station.

ii) Appointment of Head of Human Resources

The appointment process had not started pending the SMT review.

iii) Regional Management Board (RMB) - Human Resources Activity

The last meeting of the Regional Management Board had been held on 12 July 2006 in Reigate. There were two matters of interest for the Committee:

a) Marianne Abley, Regional Associate for the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA), gave a presentation to the Board and highlighted her role as a `critical friend' to the RMB in regards to the Board's proposals for the 2006/07/08 Capacity Building Fund which she recommended needed further detail on measurable outcomes.

b) In regard to the Regional Control Centre the Board agreed two secondment posts to achieve full time technical and HR support on the project.