Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority

26 September 2007

Our Plan for 2008/09 to 20010/11: incorporating the Integrated Risk Management Plan

Report of the Chief Officer

Contact: Emma Morgan Telephone: 023 80 626830

1

Summary

1.1

The Authority's corporate plan is currently known as its: "Integrated Risk Management Plan" or "IRMP". This is an unnecessarily complicated title and abbreviation. In the interests of using plain English, it makes sense in future to refer to it simply as "Our Plan".

1.2

Set out in Appendix A are a number of draft corporate objectives which, it is proposed, should form the basis of the Authority's three-year corporate plan for 2008/09 to 2010/11. Once these have been endorsed by Members, they will be the subject of comprehensive consultation with our key stakeholders. The implications of the draft proposals will also be considered in the context of budget strategy for the same three-year period.

2

Recommendations

2.1

That the Authority notes the change of title of its corporate plan from "Integrated Risk Management Plan" to "Our Plan" with effect from 1 April 2008.

2.2

That the proposed objectives (as set out in Appendix A to this report) be endorsed as the basis for consultation with key stakeholders on the Authority's three-year corporate plan for 2008/09 to 2010/11.

3

Introduction

3.1

The Government requires that every fire and rescue authority should produce an integrated risk management plan together with an annual action plan. The plan should identify and quantify the risks in the authority's area and then determine how it will set about reducing or eliminating those risks. Specifically plans must address issues raised in the National Framework for the Fire and Rescue Service. Currently these include:

_ Reducing the number and severity of fires, and in collaboration with other agencies, road traffic accidents and other emergency incidents occurring in the area for which it is responsible.

_ Reducing the severity of injuries in fires, road traffic accidents and other emergency incidents.

_ Reducing the commercial, economic and social impact of fires and other emergency incidents.

_ Safeguarding the environment and heritage (both built and natural).

_ Providing value for money.

3.2

The five corporate aims approved by the Authority take account of these issues and continue to provide the strategic direction for the Authority over the next three years (2008/09 to 2010/11). Members will recall that these are:

_ Reduce deaths and injuries from accidental fires by 20% by 2010.

_ Reduce the number of deliberate fires by 20% by 2010.

_ Reduce the number of fires by 20% by 2010.

_ Work with others to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road by 40% by 2010.

_ Be in the top 10 Fire and Rescue Services in the country by 2010.

3.2

These aims have continued to provide the basis on which the more detailed corporate objectives are developed in consultation with the Authority's key stakeholders. Members will be aware that the corporate objectives are reviewed and updated annually as part of the Authority's rolling three-year Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP).

Note: Although the Government's use of `Integrated Risk Management Plan' has been adopted as the name for the Authority's principal corporate plan, it is a cumbersome title which has inevitably become shortened to `IRMP'. Neither title is helpful when consulting with our stakeholders, so it makes sense in future to refer to the corporate plan as simply "Our Plan".

4

Review and Development of the Corporate Objectives

4.1

The Service Management Team commenced the annual review process in April 2007 (as soon as the current three-year plan became effective). The opportunity was taken to review our:

_ SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis; and our

_ STEEPLE (Social, Technological, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal and Ethical) analysis.

The outcomes of the two exercises were then considered by the Corporate Management Team. The analyses provided a summary of the context in which the Authority and Service will be operating over the short, medium and longer-term and provided further useful and strategic information for both reviewing existing, and developing new, corporate objectives.

4.2

The Service also held a very successful `Ideas Week'. This gave an opportunity for all our staff (spread across the various departments and fire stations) to submit suggestions on how we might best achieve our corporate aims. In addition, we asked our Group Managers to highlight any significant risks and issues from their work in developing local Station Action Plans. Once collated, all the information from these exercises was presented to the Service Management Team for further consideration and to enable proposals for corporate objectives to be further developed or refined.

4.3

Appendix A sets the latest proposed draft corporate objectives. The now familiar format has been retained, describing the objectives under the headings: `What & Why?' and `How & When?'. Members are asked to endorse these objectives as a basis for consultation with key stakeholders.

4.4

Apart from further information that will be given at the meeting, Members will have the opportunity to seek further clarification on any of the proposed objectives at the Members' awareness session that will take place later in the afternoon.

5

Consultation

5.1

Consultation on the proposed corporate objectives will commence on 1 October 2007 for a period of 12 weeks. Appendix B sets out the comprehensive consultation strategy and programme. Some 23 events are planned to complement the formal (written) consultation process. This should provide plenty of opportunities for our various key stakeholders to fully understand our proposals and allow time for them to make comments and raise any concerns. Members of the Authority are free to attend all or any of the events as observers. Briefing sheets for each of the proposed objectives have been prepared to further assist the consultation process.

6

Resource Implications

6.1

The process of reviewing and updating our plan is the vital part of our corporate planning process and performance management framework. The various activities outlined in this report show that the process has implications across the whole Service. It is, of course, important that it should. We have taken steps to put more resources into the various planning activities over recent years and this has certainly eased the problems of working within tight timescales for the Plan's development and production.

6.2

Each one of the proposed objectives will have potential resource implications over the coming three years. This is why the review and development of the corporate plan is always considered alongside the budget planning process. Indeed, the Authority is asked to approve the final version of the three-year corporate plan and the three-year revenue budget and capital programme at the same meeting (in February each year). Any anticipated significant resource implications will be highlighted (e.g. the need to make provision for schemes in the capital programme) and considered as part of the Authority's budget strategy report due to be considered by the Finance and General Purposes Committee on 1 November 2007.

7

Equality Impact Assessment

7.1

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

7.2

Our corporate plan and the aims and objectives within it provide opportunities to:

_ eliminate any unlawful discrimination

_ promote equality of opportunity

_ promote good race relations

We will therefore continue to subject our draft proposals to equality impact assessments to ensure that these principles are upheld.

8

Risk Analysis

8.1

Failure to produce a comprehensive and up to date corporate plan would in itself present a potentially significant risk for the Authority. Not only would the Authority be failing in its statutory duty to produce such a plan, it would also mean that the Authority could not demonstrate that it is properly reviewing the current and emerging risks in the communities it serves and the actions it proposes to take to deal with those risks.

9

European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998

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

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.

_ The Fire and Rescue National Framework 2006/08

Note: The list excludes:

(1) Published works

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