Archived decisions

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority Item

17 September 2008

Error! Bookmark not defined.South East Fire and Rescue Services Regional Management Board - Update

Report by the Chief Officer

Contact: David Howells - Director of Corporate Services ([email protected])

1

Summary

1.1

This report outlines the key issues arising from the South East Fire and Rescue Services' Regional Management Board (SERMB) meeting held on Wednesday 9 July 2008.

2

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2.1

That the report be noted.

3

Progress Against the Plan

3.1

The Board considered a progress report against each of the workstreams in the Regional Business Plan for 2007/10. In general it was noted that good progress was being made across all workstreams and the following key points were highlighted:

3.2

· Community Safety - promotion work on domestic sprinklers has been carried out and will continue to remain a key priority in the new South East Regional Management Board (SERMB) Business Plan 2008/11. Evaluation models for community safety activities are being assessed and will be progressed within the new plan.

3.3

· Human Resources - a key priority continues to involve the review of progress being made across the south east towards achieving level 3 of the equality standard for local government. It is worth highlighting here that unless authorities are able to demonstrate notable improvement in relation to equality and diversity, they will be unable to achieve the highest scores on annual direction of travel assessments.

3.4

· Improvement - Fire has been allocated £980k of capacity building funding for the period 2008/11. Members were asked to note that the South East Fire Improvement Partnership (SEFIP) was still awaiting receipt of the grant determination letter. Allocations have been made to individual workstreams in consultation with the lead Member for the improvement area and the SEFIP stakeholder group.

3.5

· Resilience - Members may recall that the Board approved a business continuity programme in April 2008. A list of mission critical services will be developed to ensure that all fire and rescue authorities are planning for significant events in a consistent manner.

3.6

· Efficiency - the Chairman of the Board approved a submission for the backwards and forwards looking annual efficiency statement for the RMB for submission by 19 July 2008.

4

REGIONAL MANAGEMENT BOARD BUSINESS PLAN 2008/11

4.1

The Board approved the Regional Business Plan 2008/11. In response to the increased expectation upon RMBs to deliver, as outlined within the new National Framework 2008/11, the Board also agreed to support a regional aim and five key priorities:

·

To actively promote the successes of the Board to key stakeholders and to actively lobby key stakeholders to improve national fire and rescue policies and processes;

·

To work together either as a whole or clusters, and support each other through peer review;

·

To improve the region's performance against the equality standard for local government;

·

To continue to support the management of the transition from local to regional control centres and transfer arrangements for control staff as far as is reasonably practicable;

·

To maintain the political sovereignty of the Board on behalf of constituent fire and rescue authorities.

4.2

Financial settlements for individual fire and rescue authorities will be increasingly challenging and therefore it is vital that regional working delivers efficiencies as well as a more effective service delivery to the public. It is also essential that we continue to maximise opportunities to access funding through the Improvement and Efficiency South East (formerly Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership), the IDeA and the Government Office for the South East.

4.3

A copy of the full Business Plan for 2008/11 is available on the South East Fire Improvement Partnership website:

http://www.sefip.gov.uk/viewDocument.jsp?document=590

5

THE SOUTH EAST PROCUREMENT STRATEGY 2008/11

5.1

The Board resolved to adopt the Regional Procurement Strategy for south east fire and rescue authorities for the period 2008/11 and noted that the lead Member for Procurement will chair the Strategic Regional Procurement Advisory Forum. A body established to act as gatekeeper and clearing house for high value collaborative partnerships. The Forum will also ensure that elected Members and Chief Fire Officers have early sight of intended procurement activity across the region, enabling them to challenge and ensure that opportunities for collaboration are not missed.

6

THE SOUTH EAST COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

6.1

The Board approved the South East Fire and Rescue Authorities' RMB Communications Strategy 2008/11. One of the priorities in the Business Plan 2008/11 is to actively promote the successes of the Board and to lobby key stakeholders to improve national policy and processes, whilst being mindful of the need to maintain the identity of individual fire and rescue authorities. As a result, it was agreed that outward-facing communications from the Board should be badged under the brand of the South East Fire and Improvement Partnership. Members agreed that future responses to consultations on behalf of the Board would be sent on SEFIP letterhead, ensuring a consistent brand for the Board and enabling it to maximise its influence with stakeholders.

7

UPDATE ON REGIONAL CONTROL CENTRE (RCC) AND FIRELINK

7.1

CFO Martin Burrell (West Sussex FRS) provided an update on progress with the RCC and Firelink.

Background Information (Section 100D of Local Government Act 1972)

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:

· South East Regional Management Board (SERMB) Business Plan for 2008/11

http://www.sefip.gov.uk/viewDocument.jsp?document=590

· Agenda, reports and draft minutes of the South East Fire and Rescue Services Regional Management Board meeting held 9 July 2008.

http://www.sefip.gov.uk/resources.shtml#9