COUNCIL MEETING, 20 NOVEMBER, 2008

REPORT OF THE

HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY

SOUTH EAST EMPLOYERS CHARTER FOR ELECTED MEMBER DEVELOPMENT

1. The Authority has signed up to the South East Employers Charter for Elected Member development and is seeking to achieve this award over the next few years. The Charter will provide an opportunity to establish a systematic and coordinated framework for Member development and to build upon the existing Member Awareness Sessions organised by the Chief Officer.

2. Achievement of the Charter will demonstrate a commitment to ongoing Member development and establish the necessary structures to ensure that future learning and development provides maximum benefit to the community.

3. A Cross-Party Steering Group of Members will act as champions for embedding Member development within the Authority. The Group will carry out a self assessment on behalf of the Authority and develop an action plan to achieve the award. Councillors Keith Chapman, Sam Payne, David Harrison and Jane Frankum have been appointed to the Steering Group which is to meet 3 times a year and report to the Human Resources Committee. It's important work is to be supported by officers from the Training and Development Department of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

4. As part of the overall self assessment, each member will be asked to complete a self assessment questionnaire to identify strengths and areas requiring further development within the Authority. The questionnaire will be based on the Improvement and Development Agency's Political Skills Framework. Achievement of the Charter will enable members to have a greater involvement in key service development activities and promote closer working with officers in a variety of strategic contexts. This work is seen as a crucial element in taking the Service forward into the next decade and beyond.

5. This report arises from consideration of the report by the Chief Officer on 17 September 2008, which is on Hantsweb at http://www.hants.gov.uk/decisions/decisions-docs/080917-fireau-R0910160150.html

PORTSMOUTH - COMMUNITY CONTACT POINT

1. At its meeting on 13 February, 2008, the Authority approved a number of corporate objectives for inclusion in its Fire and Rescue Plan 2008-2011. One of these requires the Service to permanently re-locate its operational resources within Portsmouth to two strategic locations to the north and south of the City and to establish a Community Contact Point (CCP) within the central Portsmouth area.

2. The CCP offers the opportunity to present a public-facing central focus for community safety and community risk reduction for the City and an operational response resorting point. The intended community safety activities and events are to be delivered by dedicated community safety specialists from within the Service as well as operational crews from Cosham and Southsea Fire Stations. Risk is considered to have three dimensions in terms of time, geography and demography and as such the CCP and its associated risk reduction activities, are to be conducted at identified key times of the day according to need and the risk profile of the area. These resources will also be available to provide an operational emergency response whenever necessary.

3. Whilst Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has previous experiences of operating community contact facilities, such as at Popley Fields, Basingstoke, the CCP concept at Portsmouth is unique. It will provide a new innovative and exciting opportunity to work creatively in the reduction of risk to the community. At the September meeting of the Authority, a progress report was presented. It was noted that terms have been agreed for a one-year lease of a shop facility in Kingston Road (within the Charles Dickens Ward of Portsmouth) and arrangements have also been made for a dedicated parking space close-by to the CCP which will be used as the resorting point for an operational fire appliance.

4. After a period of a year, it is planned to develop the facility in the light of experience and demand to a fully mobile solution. The operational response resorting point will be re-evaluated as and when a mobile unit becomes operational. In the meantime, there is to be careful monitoring of the Portsmouth CCP facility and the Chief Officer is to make a progress report on this item to each future meeting of the Authority.

5. This report arises from consideration of the report by the Chief Officer on 17 September 2008, which is on Hantsweb at http://www.hants.gov.uk/decisions/decisions-docs/080917-fireau-R0910160038.html

4IR491008