Archived decisions

Item 3

AT A MEETING of the HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE held at the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters, Eastleigh on 23 October 2008.

PRESENT:

Councillors: R. Smith (Chairman); I.F.E. Beagley; M.F. Cartwright; A.D.G. Evans; R.H. Price.

113 APOLOGIES

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M.G. Cooper; Mrs J.K. Frankum; P.R.C. Hutcheson and D. Simpson.

114 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, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with paragraph 12 of the Code. The declaration should be made at the relevant time of the debate.

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

115 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2008 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

116 DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations made to this meeting.

117 BUDGET MONITORING: 2^ND QUARTER 2008/09

The Committee considered the report of the Treasurer and the Chief Officer (Item 5 in the Minute Book) setting out the latest budget position.

RESOLVED:

(a) That the latest budget position be noted.

(b) That the name and use of the Modernisation Reserve be changed to the

Improvement and Sustainability Reserve with effect from 2009/10 budget.

(c) That it be a RECOMMENDATION to the Authority:

That the financial regulations, as set out in paragraph 8.2 of the report, allowing the Chief Officer, in consultation with the Treasurer and Chairman of the Authority, to vary the capital programme by up to £50,000 if such action is deemed to be in the best financial interests of the Authority, be approved, subject to the requirement that any capital expenditure using this power is reported back to the Committee.

and

That the vehicle replacement programme 2008/09 be increased to include an additional support vehicle and second-hand fork lift truck.

118 PROVISIONAL BUDGET STRATEGY 2009/10-2011/12

The Committee considered the report of the Treasurer and the Chief Officer (Item 6 in the Minute Book) on the provisional budget strategy for the years 2009/10 - 2011/12 and the pressures that would impact on it. Members endorsed the policy aims of containing council tax increases to that of general inflation and pension increases, keeping reserves and balances at an appropriate level as indicated by risk assessment and focusing on efficiency gains as the key means by which continuous improvement could be maintained within the available resources. It was acknowledged that the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 provided a relatively sound basis for financial planning for 2009/10 and 2010/11, so therefore assumptions about 2011/12 were necessarily more speculative.

Members noted it was difficult to quantify what budget pressures there were on the Authority due to the uncertainty over predictions of inflation, interest rates and pay awards in the volatile economic climate. For that reason, figures would be presented along with sensitivity analysis to the Committee's next meeting

RESOLVED:

That the Committee endorse the funding pressures and planning assumptions set out in the report, as a basis for preparing the Authority's medium-term financial strategy (2009/10 to 2010/11) and budget for 2009/10.

119 ASSET MANAGEMENT WORKING GROUP: 20 OCTOBER 2008

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 7 in the Minute Book) summarising the main items discussed by the Asset Management Working Group at its meeting on 20 October 2008. There had been some difficulty in disposing of housing stock, primarily linked to general conditions within the housing market, however there had been some completions since the group last met. Disposal was still considered the preferred option, as the liability and costs of maintenance continued to be high. The progress made in disposing of land at Carpenters Down, Basingstoke and Winchester Fire Station was noted.

Progress on the Winchester Fire Station (new build) was highlighted. Members endorsed the intention to achieve excellent accreditation under the Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), even though this had the potential to delay the build and increase construction costs.

RESOLVED:

That the progress statements on current schemes and issues considered at the meeting of the Asset Management Group on 20 October 2008 be noted.

120 SOUTH EAST REGIONAL CONTROL CENTRE STAFF TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The Committee considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 8 in the Minute Book) on the staff terms and conditions of service at the South East Regional Control Centre (SERCC). It was agreed that new pay, terms and conditions that are locally determined would be the best course of action, to ensure that provision of services from the SERCC met operational requirements and remained affordable.

RESOLVED:

That Councillor Roger Price as the Authority's representative on the SERCC take forward the following as HFRA's position and urge the board of directors to adopt the same:

(a) That the SERCC adopt locally created and determined T&C's that are separate from Green and Grey Book T&C's and are not aligned to a national bargaining forum.

(b) That the SERCC management team be urged to prioritise the engagement of their own professional HR resource outside the SERCC Project Team.

(c) That the Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC) be formally advised of the Authority's views at the next meeting.

(d) That the HFRA be made aware of the action taken at its next meeting.

120 EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC

RESOLVED:

That the public be excluded from the meeting during the following items of business, as it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, and further that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons set out in the report.

121 VEHICLE REPLACEMENT PROGRAMME 2009/10 TO 2011/12

The Committee considered and approved the exempt report of the Chief Officer (Item 10 in the Minute Book) concerning the Authority's vehicle replacement needs for the years 2009/10 to 2011/12.

[SUMMARY OF AN EXEMPT MINUTE]

122 FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITIES' MUTUAL LIMITED (FRAML): ORAL REPORT

The Committee considered the exempt oral report of the Chief Officer (Item 11 in the Minute Book) updating members on the current situation regarding the Fire and Rescue Authorities' Mutual Limited (FRAML).

[SUMMARY OF AN EXEMPT MINUTE]