Archived decisions

AT A MEETING of the HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY held at the Borough Council Offices, Eastleigh on 11 February, 2009

PRESENT:

Councillors: M.F. Cartwright (Chairman); I.F.E. Beagley; K. Chapman; M.G. Cooper;

Mrs. J. Frankum; A. Fraser; E.F. Gale, MBE; P. Galton; D. Harrison; K. House;

L. Hunt; P.R.C. Hutcheson; F. Jonas; R.J. Kimber; D.A. Kirk; P. Marsh-Jenks;

R. McIntosh; Sam Payne; R.H. Price; D. Simpson; R. Smith.

318 APOLOGIES

Apologies were received from Councillors L. Dunsdon and A. Evans.

319 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members were mindful that, where they believed they had a personal or prejudicial interest in any matter to be considered at the meeting, they should, normally at the time of the 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.

All Members declared a personal interest in the item on the HFRA Budget 2009/10 (Minute 329 refers) but were advised by the Clerk that they need not treat this as a prejudicial interest and therefore could speak and vote during the course of any debate in the normal way.

320 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Authority held on 10 December, 2008 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

321 DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations to the meeting.

322 MEMBERS' QUESTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT

There were no Members' questions or any verbal reports back on attendance(s) at fire and rescue service conferences, seminars and other training awareness activities.

323 CHAIRMAN'S COMMUNICATIONS

The Chairman welcomed Councillor F. Jonas to his first meeting in place of Councillor D. Fuller. He went on to thank each of those Members of the Fire Authority who would not be standing again in the forthcoming County Council elections in June, 2009.

The Chairman made reference to the LGA's Equality and Diversity Charter and encourages Fire Authority Members to sign up to it and by so doing demonstrate their commitment to equality and diversity.

The Chairman reported on the visit from Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire and Rescue Authority on 22 January, 2009. It had provided an opportunity to debate a wide range of issues common to both Authorities. He thanked those HFRA Members who had taken part in what had been a most worthwhile day.
A return visit for Hampshire Members to Buckinghamshire was being planned.

The Chairman explained details about the action taken by the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to deal with the recent severe winter weather conditions. Also, Members noted the intention to cancel the Standards, Finance and General Purposes and Governance Committee meetings on 11, 24 and 26 June respectively. It was necessary because the memberships of each of the Committees would not be decided until the meeting of the Fire Authority on 24 June, 2009. Any items due to go to the above Committees would instead be reported to the Authority in June.

Due to an Audit Commission embargo over the release of their HFRA Performance Assessment for 2008, it had been decided to report this item direct to the Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee on 27 February, 2009. All Fire Authority Members would be welcome to attend.

The Chairman reported that after more than 12 years distinguished service with Hampshire County Council, Jeff Pattison was to retire at the end of March, 2009. In addition to being the County Council's Head of Corporate and Legal Services, Mr. Pattison had also acted as legal advisor to the Fire Authority for more than 10 years and been an active member of the Corporate Management Team, providing valuable advice on a wide range of issues. The Chairman thanked him for his most valuable contributions and wished him a happy retirement.

Finally, John Bonney, the Chief Officer paid tribute to Councillor Michael Cartwright who would not be standing in the forthcoming County Council elections and therefore was Chairing his final meeting of the Authority. Members noted that Councillor Cartwright had served as a County Councillor since 1997, currently representing Petersfield Hangers Division in East Hampshire. That same year, he joined the Fire Authority and had been appointed Chairman in September, 2000. John Bonney added his personal thanks to Councillor Cartwright and made particular reference to his sense of duty and loyalty to the Service. Councillors R. Price and Mrs. J. Frankum added their individual tributes. In response, Councillor Cartwright thanked everyone for their kind words and expressed his appreciation to Members and officers for the support during his time as Chairman of the Authority.

324 VACANCIES ON THE HUMAN RESOURCES AND PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEES

The Chairman reported on the need to fill a Conservative vacancy on both the Human Resources and Performance Review and Scrutiny Committees and a Liberal Democrat vacancy on the Human Resources Committee.

RESOLVED:

(a) That Councillor F. Jonas be appointed in place of Councillor L. Hunt to serve on both the Human Resources and Performance Review and Scrutiny Committees.


(b) That Councillor L. Hunt be appointed in place of Councillor D. Fuller on the Human Resources Committee.

325 ACTIVITY REPORT

The Authority received and noted the report of the Chief Officer (Item 8 in the Minute Book) highlighting prevention, protection and response activities in each of the group areas. As part of this item, Members received a short presentation about progress to date and next steps in relation to the Portsmouth Community Contact Point. A copy of the PowerPoint presentation given at the meeting appears as Item 8(a) in the Minute Book.

326 MINUTES OF THE PERFORMANCE REVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - 9 FEBRUARY, 2009

The Authority received the Minutes of the Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 9 February, 2009 (Item 9 in the Minute Book). They adopted the recommendation to the Authority about the voluntary Display of Energy Certificates at all wholetime fire stations as a demonstration of the Authority's commitment to measuring and reducing its environmental impact.

327 HAMPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE PLAN 2009-2012 : PROPOSED CORPORATE OBJECTIVES

The Authority considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 10 in the Minute Book) seeking approval to the revised set of proposed corporate objectives for inclusion in the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2009-2012. Members were asked to substitute an updated version of Appendix 2 to the report which was circulated at the meeting (Item 10(a) in the Minute Book).

RESOLVED:

(a) That the feedback from stakeholders on the original nine corporate objectives for 2009 to 2012, as summarised in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted.


(b) That the revised set of seven proposed corporate objectives, as set out in the updated version of Appendix 2 tabled at the meeting, be approved for inclusion in the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2009 to 2012.

328 MINUTES OF THE FINANCE AND GENERAL PURPOSES COMMITTEE - 15 JANUARY, 2009

The Authority received the Minutes of the Finance and General Purposes Committee meeting held on 15 January, 2009 (Item 11 in the Minute Book) and adopted the recommendation on budget monitoring. They agreed to consider the recommendations in relation to the budget for 2009/10, the Capital programme and associated prudential indicators and treasury management system as part of the subsequent item on the budget for 2009/10 (Minute 329 refers).

329 HFRA BUDGET 2009/10

The Authority considered the report of the Treasurer and Chief Officer (Item 12 in the Minute Book) on the budget for 2009/10. The Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer summarised the main issues involved in the construction of the budget, highlighting the key elements and feedback from the statutory consultation exercise.

The Authority noted there had been just one minor variation to take into account since the meeting of the Finance and General Purposes Committee as a result of the billing authorities' tax bases and collection funds surpluses and deficits. It meant that for a council tax increase of 3.6% (compared with the 3.7% recommended by the Finance and General Purposes Committee) the Authority was now able to have a total budget of just £2,000 less than that proposed by the Finance and General Purposes Committee. The reduction of £2,000 reflecting the reduction in the billing authorities' collection funds surpluses. Members supported the proposed budget before them.

RESOLVED:

(a) That the revenue budget as set out in Appendix 3 of the report be approved.


(b) That the capital programme, as set out in Appendix 6 of the report and the associated prudential indicators as set out in Appendix 8 of the report, be approved.


(c) That the Treasury Management Strategy and recommendations contained within it set out in Appendix 10 of the report be approved.


(d) That the policy on Minimum Revenue Provision as set out in paragraph 10 of the report be approved.


(e) That the total budget requirement for the general expenses of the Authority for the year beginning 1 April 2009 be £66,659,000.


(f) That the Authority's basic council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2009 be £60.30.


(g) That the Authority's council tax for the year beginning 1 April 2009 for properties in each tax band be:

(h) That precepts be issued totalling £37,711,857.59 on the billing authorities in Hampshire, requiring the payment, in such instalments and on such dates set by them and previously notified to the Authority, in proportion to the tax base of each billing authority's area as determined by them which are set out below:

£
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council 62,657.70
East Hampshire District Council 47,514.78
Eastleigh Borough Council 43,666.14
Fareham Borough Council 42,383.00
Gosport Borough Council 27,670.70
Hart District Council 37,892.60
Havant Borough Council 42,674.00
New Forest District Council 72,350.90
Portsmouth City Council 59,139.50
Rushmoor Borough Council 31,184.03
Southampton City Council 65,661.50
Test Valley Borough Council 45,327.00
Winchester City Council 47,282.09
Total 625,403.94

330 "RISING TO THE CHALLENGE : IMPROVING FIRE SERVICE EFFICIENCY" - AUDIT COMMISSION COMMUNITY SAFETY NATIONAL REPORT

The Authority considered the report of the Chief Officer (Item 13 in the Minute Book) about this Audit Commission report concerning the modernisation agenda involving Fire and Rescue Services.

RESOLVED:

(a) That the preliminary assessment of current and planned actions identified as specifically addressing recommendations for fire and rescue authorities and chief fire officers arising out of the Audit Commission's National Community Safety report "Rising to the Challenge" be noted.


(b) That the Authority endorses the proposal to use the Audit Commission's recommendations and list of "questions for fire services to ask" as a basis for monitoring its direction of travel and its next annual cycle of corporate planning.


(c) That a more detailed report be made in due course to the Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee showing Hampshire's comparative position on some of the key performance and efficiency indicators used in the report; and that the Committee monitors and evaluates the effectiveness of actions being taken to improve efficiency.

331 REGIONAL CONTROL CENTRE AND SOUTH-EAST REGIONAL LOCAL CONTROLLED COMPANY

Alan House, Director of Strategic Projects and Specialist Response gave a presentation to the Authority on progress in relation to the key elements of the South East Regional Control Project. A copy of the presentation given at the meeting appears as Item 14 in the Minute Book.

332 SOUTH EAST FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES' REGIONAL MANAGEMENT BOARD UPDATE

The Authority received and noted the report of the Chief Officer (Item 15 in the Minute Book) outlining the key issues arising from the South East Fire and Rescue Services' Regional Management Board meeting held on 21 January, 2009.

333 MINUTES OF THE STANDARDS COMMITTEE - 12 DECEMBER, 2008

The Authority received the Minutes of the Standards Committee meeting held on 12 December, 2008 (Item 16 in the Minute Book).

334 NOTES OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES COMMITTEE - 5 FEBRUARY, 2009

The Authority received the notes of the Human Resources Committee meeting held on 5 February, 2009 (Item 17 in the Minute Book). Whilst the Human Resources Committee was inquorate, Members attending agreed to continue on an informal basis as only one item before them required any formal decision. The item concerned related to the proposed new Workforce Strategy for 2009/2012. The Authority approved the Strategy and that it be reported back to the Human Resources Committee meeting on 30 April, 2009, with the Committee being given delegated authority to make any minor changes at their meeting.

335 APPOINTMENTS OF MEMBERS TO FUTURE FIRE AND RESCUE CONFERENCES

(a) Fire and Rescue Conference 2009

The Authority considered the appointment of Members to this Conference.

RESOLVED:

That Councillors P.R.C. Hutcheson, Mrs. J.K. Frankum and R.H. Price be appointed to attend the Fire and Rescue Conference from 12-14 May, 2009 in Birmingham, and that a further Conservative Member nomination be notified to the Chief Officer.


(b) LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition 2009

The Authority considered the appointment of Members to this Conference.



RESOLVED:

That Councillors R. Smith, Mrs. J.K. Frankum and D. Harrison be appointed to attend the LGA Annual Conference and Exhibition from 30 June to 2 July, 2009 in Harrogate and that a further Conservative Member nomination be notified to the Chief Officer.

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