Archived decisions

1

Summary

1.1

At its meeting in September 2008 the Authority agreed to consult stakeholders on our priorities for action and nine proposed corporate objectives. As a result of the valuable feedback received - and developments that have since taken place - it is now recommended that two of the proposed objectives should be dropped and the wording of the remainder clarified and/or improved.

1.2

The seven corporate objectives recommended for inclusion in the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Plan 2009 - 2012 are:

1. Develop intelligence led delivery of services

2. Develop risk-based response standards for specific incident types

3. Develop response vehicles to better meet our risks

4. Develop efficient and flexible crewing

5. Develop the core skills of our firefighters

6. Review the delivery of our services in the area covered by Bishop's Waltham, Botley, Droxford and Wickham Fire Stations

7. Develop a community resilience strategy

The two that are no longer being proposed are:

· Review of Service transportation - see paragraph 3.5.

· Strategy for resolving our buildings maintenance needs - see paragraph 3.6.

2

Recommendations

2.1

That the feedback from stakeholders on the original nine corporate objectives for 2009 to 2011, as summarised in Appendix 1 to this report, be noted.

2.2

That the revised set of seven proposed corporate objectives, as set out in Appendix 2 to this report, be approved for inclusion in the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2009 - 2012.

3

Consultation feedback

3.1

In September 2008 the Authority approved as a basis for consultation with our stakeholders nine proposed corporate objectives. The twelve-week period of consultation commenced on 22 September 2008 and ended on 12 December 2008 and 14 specific events we held. These were:

Event type / consultees

Venue

Date

Attendees

Representative Bodies

HFRS Headquarters

18/09/08

13

Public focus group - Basingstoke

Basingstoke Fire Station

07/10/08

12

Public focus group - Swanmore

Swanmore College

09/10/08

13

HFRS Staff - Bishop's Waltham

Bishop's Waltham Fire Station

13/10/08

20

HFRS Managers

HFRS Headquarters

15/10/08

26

HFRS Staff - HQ

HFRS Headquarters

17/10/08

29

HFRS Staff - Botley

Botley Fire Station

28/10/08

31

HFRS Staff - Cosham

Cosham Fire Station

29/10/08

20

Representative bodies

HFRS Headquarters

04/11/08

14

HFRS Staff - St. Mary's

St. Mary's Fire Station

17/11/08

19

Parish Councillors

HFRS Headquarters

18/11/08

0

HFRS Staff - Alton

Alton Fire Station

19/11/08

21

Public focus group - Southsea

Southsea Fire Station

24/11/08

9

Eastleigh Borough Councillors

HFRS Headquarters

01/12/08

4

3.2

In addition to these formal consultation events, we also invited feedback from our various stakeholders by way of an on-line feedback form on our website. Posters and copies of the proposed objectives were displayed in all libraries and public information points (as well as at all our fire stations). Letters inviting comments were sent to neighbouring fire and rescue authorities, partner organisations, constituent local authorities, Hampshire's Members of Parliament and our main partner organisations. This resulted in 36 written responses and a request for a specific meeting to discuss the objectives from Mark Oaten MP.

3.3

All the comments, views and opinions received from the various stakeholders have been collated; and a summary of the key points and issues raised is set out as Appendix 1.

3.4

Feedback from staff has generally been very positive. Inevitably, most discussion has centred on proposed objective to `develop efficient and flexible crewing'. The representative bodies supported the objective, but voiced concerns about how the flexible system would be managed in practice and how its effectiveness would be measured and evaluated. The useful feedback has resulted in the various elements of the objective being clarified and better defined.

3.5

Some consultees felt that certain of the objectives were essentially `business as usual' and questioned their status as strategic-level corporate objectives. In particular, the proposal to `review Service transportation' [i.e. non-emergency vehicles] should be an on-going activity. On reflection, this is considered to be a fair point and the Service Management Team now feel it should instead be pursued as a best value review.

3.6

The proposal to consider a `strategy for resolving our buildings maintenance needs' has somewhat been overtaken by events. Members will be aware from reports in preparing next year's daft budget that, because this has been identified as a strategic risk for the Authority, there has been strong support to enhance the revenue budget and capital programme provisions for the repair, maintenance and improvement of the built estate. On the assumption that this will be confirmed and approved when members come to consider the draft budget report for 2009/10 (elsewhere on this meeting's agenda) it is felt that this proposed objective can be postponed at least for the time being. It would be re-introduced for consideration if the backlog of maintenance needs significantly increases.

3.7

The priority and associated target concerning `reducing our impact on the environment' generated considerable interest and comment - particularly from our staff. From feedback we have received we have sought to clarify our intentions by providing two targets: "by 2012 we will: (a) reduce the impact on the environment from operational fires and other incidents in Hampshire by 10%; and (b) reduce our own carbon footprint by 20%

3.8

Other key points that emerged from consultation include:

· Staff said that they would appreciate being provided with more detailed information on the proposed objectives at the start of the consultation period.

· Some consultees mentioned that the fire and rescue service doesn't always receive the recognition it deserves in terms of the wider contribution it makes to community safety and resilience.

· Grey Book staff and their representatives are particularly supportive of the proposed objective: `developing the core skills of our firefighters'.

3.9

It was disappointing that we received very little feedback however from the business community - even though we contacted a wide variety of businesses from on our stakeholder register.

310

The wording of all seven remaining proposed corporate objectives has been reviewed, clarified and improved in the light of the feedback received. In addition, we will carry forward three of the `2008 - 2011' objectives:

· Mainstreaming Equality and Diversity

· Reducing our impact on the environment

· Developing regional working

The revised `What? & Why?' and `How? & When?' statements for all ten are set out in Appendix 2.

3.11

We have maintained an active `learning log'. This helps us to identify practical improvements for the future management of the consultation process - and the subsequent preparation of the Plan.

4

Preparation of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2009 - 2012

4.1

Work is well underway in preparing the Plan which we have ready for publication and issue at the beginning of April. It is anticipated that an early draft of the proposed layout/contents will be circulated at the meeting. It will include a short commentary on each of the completed objectives from the 2008 - 2011 Plan.

4.2

We want to continue to improve the quality of the Plan. In particular, we want it to be `accessible' to all our stakeholders. With that in mind, we will ask our External Advisory Group for its views and then send it to the Plain English Campaign so that it can be assessed for potential `Crystal Mark' status.

5

Risk Analysis

5.1

Consultation with key stakeholders on the preparation of our corporate plan is an essential requirement of good governance. The lack of a robust consultation strategy would run the risk that our corporate priorities, policies and objectives might fail to properly reflect the needs and expectations of local communities and our various key stakeholders. We believe that we have once again carried out a comprehensive programme of consultation activity that has genuinely informed the development and preparation of our Plan for 2009 - 2012.

6

Resource Implications

6.1

The costs associated with the consultation process and the subsequent production of the Service Plan will be met from within existing budgets.

7

People Impact Assessment

7.1

A People Impact Assessment (PIA) has been completed for the Plan. There are no significant issues arising from it to draw to the attention of Members.

7.2

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.

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:

Draft Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2009 - 2012': proposed corporate objectives and consultation strategy (see item 9)

/decisions/decisions-index/index-docs-6914

Note: The list excludes: (1) published works; and (2) documents that disclose exempt or confidential information defined in the Act.