HFRA Governance Committee 20 November 2009

Review of Committee Structures Appendix 1

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority Committees - Terms of Reference

Finance and General Purposes Committee

To make recommendations to the Authority as to its revenue budget and capital programme.

· To consider and determine the annual programme for the replacement of vehicles and other major capital schemes.

· To consider and advise the Authority on the financial effects of significant development strategies, plans, major acquisitions, contracts etc.

· To receive, consider and approve the Authority's final accounts (normally at a June meeting). (This amendment was adopted at the HFRA meeting on 4 June 2008).

· To oversee the use of land and property and other significant resources (eg information technology, communications, vehicles).

· To deal with any other urgent business that cannot reasonably be held over to the next full meeting of the Authority or else dealt with under the Scheme of Delegation of Standing Orders.

· To deal with such other matters of financial significance that the Authority may refer to it.

Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee

Introduction

The Performance Review and Scrutiny Committee (PRSC) was set up in September 2001 (originally known as Performance Review Committee (PRC)) to monitor and direct performance management and review at corporate level. The PRSC receive their reports from the Performance Review Team based at Service Headquarters.

Aims of the committee

Efficiency reviews

· To oversee and co-ordinate the preparations of the Authority for achieving best value and compliance with relevant legislative requirements.

· To participate in, determine and undertake a programme of efficiency reviews with a view to effecting continuous improvements in the way services are delivered, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

· To appoint member(s) to individual efficiency reviews.

· To consider reports on the outcome of reviews and the relevant recommendations and to monitor their implementation on a regular basis.

· To recommend specific actions to secure best value for the Authority's services.

· To receive reports and information from officers, members, organisations and individuals as required by the Committee to further its work, and to interview members, officers, staff and comparable organisations as appropriate.

· To monitor and review policy, decisions and the service delivery issues referred by the Authority.

· To identify and make recommendations on any cross-cutting issues in order to optimise the use of resources and improve service delivery.

Scrutiny

To carry out joint member/officer pre and post-implementation scrutiny of any major project, scheme, or key decision taken by the Authority or its standing committees.*

Improvement planning

To receive updated reports detailing progress in the Improvement Planning Register.*

Human Resources Committee

To advise the Authority on all matters of personnel policy in order to ensure the effective utilisation and development of the staff of the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

To exercise the powers and duties except where otherwise stated (eg in the Scheme of Delegation) in the following matters:

Establishment, Staffing Levels and Structures

Subject to consultation with other bodies as required by statute, to consider and advise the Authority on overall staffing needs and organisational structures, including:

· the overall allocation of staff to meet specific current or temporary needs;

· variation in grades, remuneration and conditions of service for individual or groups of posts in the establishment;

· periodic reviews of staffing levels and gradings.

When considering these issues, the Committee will have particular regard to the financial implications of any approvals or recommendations made.

Pay and Conditions of Service

To receive reports on nationally negotiated variations to salary levels and conditions of service for all categories of staff and advise the authority of their implications.

To consider, determine or advise on local variations in pay and conditions of service.

To monitor the application of the Local Pension Scheme and Firemans' Pension Scheme.

To monitor all retirements and dismissals made on medical grounds.

Employee Policies

To ensure the introduction and continued application of good employee relations, procedures and practices.

To ensure compliance with the provisions of all employment protection and related legislation.

To act as the Authority's appeal body for all categories of employees and to appoint appeals panels comprising members of the Committee or the Authority as appropriate. (This to include hearing of appeals relating to: individual dismissals and grievances; and collective disputes).

To ensure that good recruitment and selection practices are adopted for all HFRS employees.

To be responsible for the appointment of Chief and Deputy Chief Fire Officers posts.

To approve training and development policies.

To promote and monitor the Authority's equal opportunities and health, safety and welfare policies.

Standards Committee

· To advise the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority on the adoption or revision of a Code of Conduct for both members and officers.

· To monitor the operation of the Authority's Code of Conduct.

· To advise, train or arrange to train members of the Authority on matters relating to the Authority's Code of Conduct and standards of conduct generally.

· To grant dispensation to Members of the Authority from certain specified requirements relating to interest to be set out in the Code of Conduct.

· To establish sub-committees to take such action as is necessary to assess, review, investigate, determine and impose appropriate sanctions in respect of any written allegation that a member has failed to comply with the Authority's Code of Conduct. (This amendment was adopted at the HFRA meeting on 17 September 2008).

· To consider and deal with any reports from the Clerk on any matters relating to the conduct of members and officers of the Authority.

· To promote high standards of conduct in the Authority.

Governance Committee

On 26 May 2004, the Authority felt that a new separate Committee should be established for corporate governance rather than to add this role to the existing responsibilities of the Standards Committee.

The Clerk was asked to prepare a report on the proposed establishment of this new committee. It was recommended that the new Committee be named the `Governance Committee' and that its terms of reference be as set out in the previous 26 May, 2004 report; that is:

· To adopt, review and amend the corporate governance framework for the Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority.

· To receive and consider reports from the Treasurer on internal audit strategy, planning and delivery.

· To consider and approve the Statement of Accounts at its June meeting.*

· To receive and consider progress reports on actions taken to satisfy outcomes and recommendations from external and internal audit reports.*

· This amendment was adopted at the HFRA meeting on 4 June 2008.

Corporate Management Team

The Corporate Management Team (CMT) is not a formal or standing committee of the Authority and has no formal decision-making powers unless these are specifically delegated to CMT by a meeting of the full Authority of one of its standing committees - and this is likely to be on a single issue within clearly defined boundaries.

CMT evolved from the need to establish an informal, cross-party, working group to assist officers in developing a strategy to deal with a particularly complicated and urgent issue. At about the same time, the requirement to make rapid progress in developing the Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) occurred. The Authority took the view that it made sense to use this same joint member / officer group to produce a first draft of the IRMP for consideration by the whole Authority.

Subsequently, the useful role CMT could play in giving initial consideration to strategic and emerging issues became increasingly recognised. For example, during the preparation of the Draft Budget for 2005/06, the Authority gave specific delegated powers to CMT to determine (subject to a maximum increase of 2.5%), "the actual [increase in council tax] figure for consultation purposes". The final determination of the council tax and budget was, however, left to the discretion of the full Authority.

While CMT meetings continue to provide a means to increase cross-party member representation and engagement at very early stages in policy formulation, it would also be reasonable to regard CMT as providing a valuable sounding board and consultation forum in which officers and members can share initial views or reactions with each other on new strategic proposals and initiatives.

CMT has continued to work on behalf of the Authority on such matters as: the development and ongoing review of the Authority's Strategic Risk Management Policy and Strategic Risk Register; and the review and monitoring of our Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP)

It is worth recording that during our Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) (carried out on site in February 2005) the assessment team seemed impressed by the role CMT was providing. During the on-site oral feedback the team implied that, in its view, CMT was a unique and positive way of increasing member engagement. This was confirmed in the team's final report:

"The fire authority has an effective process for governance and scrutiny - five standing committees are in place: Finance and General Purposes, Human Resources, Performance Review, Governance, and Standards. Member involvement has also been achieved through the formation of a joint (cross-party) member and officer Corporate Management Team."

The role of CMT was considered by the Authority's Governance Committee (at its meeting on 26 July 2005) and resolved, inter alia, that in acknowledging that the CMT, is not a formal decision making body of the Authority, it should remain as a non-executive, informal, joint (cross party) member/officer working group comprising senior members of the Authority and the principal officers of the Service.

The Corporate Management Team comprises leading Fire Authority members and HFRS officers and meets approximately every six weeks.

Secretarial/WP/HFRA/HFRA Governance HFRA Governance 20 11 09 Committee Structures Appx 1 KG/JMW/30/10/09