Agenda for Nottinghamshire and City of Nottingham Fire and Rescue Authority - Policy and Strategy on Friday, 29th April, 2016, 10.00 am

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Fire and Rescue Services HQ, Bestwood Lodge, Arnold Nottingham NG5 8PD

Contact: James Welbourn  Email: james.welbourn@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

32.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Councillor Jon Collins – other Council business.

33.

DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS

Minutes:

None.

34.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 173 KB

Of the meeting held on 29 January 2016 (for confirmation).

Minutes:

The Committee confirmed the minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2016 as a true record and they were signed by the Chair.

35.

STATUTORY CHANGES TO PAY POLICY pdf icon PDF 153 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) updated Members on proposals affecting the application of the Service’s Pay Policy as a result of statutory revisions.

 

The following points were highlighted:

 

(a)  no formal legislation is currently in place as statutory instruments have not yet been completed;

 

(b)  procedures are not currently in place to highlight exit payments for staff on salaries of £80,000 or over;

 

(c)  currently NFRS pay more than the National Living Wage (NLW), but the government have plans to raise the NLW.  At this stage, these plans look to affect the bottom of the NFRS pay scale;

 

Following questions from Members, further information was provided:

 

(d)  redundancy capping at Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Councils is capped at 52 weeks and 50 weeks respectively.  The Fire Authority caps redundancy at 66 weeks;

 

(e)  NFRS currently pay the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) rate, but will have to pay the NLW in the future if this is greater;

 

(f)  confirmation has recently come through on pay rises for the next two years.  Work on this will be passed before the Finance and Resources sub-committee;

 

(g)  growth from £7.20 to £9 an hour under the NLW will overtake the LWF.  However, the LWF applies to all employees, whereas the NLW only applies to people aged 25 and over.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  note the contents of the report;

 

(2)  agree to receive the policies which are affected by the legislative changes for revision and approval.

 

 

36.

ANNUAL REVIEW OF GOVERNANCE pdf icon PDF 359 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) provided Members with a review of the local Code of Corporate Governance.

 

The following information was highlighted:

 

(a)  the current code is up to date and there is no suggestion that the local code of governance needs to change.  The national code is being reviewed, and therefore the framework may need amending in the future;

 

Following questions from Members, further information was provided:

 

(b)  a revised Code of Governance framework is being issued at this present time.  During the summer months the local code will be reviewed in the light of the revised framework, and will be reported back to the Policy and Strategy committee in the future for ratification;

 

Conservative members of the committee were offered a consultation on the framework in conjunction with the Chair of Finance and Resources.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  ratify the use of the current local Code of Corporate Governance as the basis for the 2015/16 Annual Governance Statement;

 

(2)  agree to receive further reports once the revised CIPFA/SOLACE framework has been produced and considered by Officers.

37.

CONSULTATION FRAMEWORK pdf icon PDF 142 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

Craig Parkin, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) presented the outcomes of the consultation framework review to Members.

 

RESOLVED to note the outcomes of the review of the consultation framework and continue to support its use.

38.

DONATION OF 'END OF LIFE' FIRE APPLIANCES pdf icon PDF 182 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) reported on the proposed donation of two ‘end of life’ fire appliances to volunteer fire services in two rural locations in Croatia.

 

A short PowerPoint presentation followed outlining the reasons behind the trip and the benefits it could bring to the area in question.

 

After this, the following points were highlighted:

 

(a)  Varazdin County, in Croatia is a poor area in need of these appliances.  Last year, a similar visit was made by NFRS;

 

(b)  the equipment would provide efficient cover for 15 separate communities.  It could also attend ‘over the border’ incidents in Slovenia and Hungary;

 

(c)  appliances would also be used to educate the local community;

 

(d)  local fundraising in Croatia has raised 2000 euros to pay for fuel and ferry crossings.  Team members from NFRS are paying for their own return flights and undertaking the trip in their own time;

 

(e)  since the trip last year, two members of staff fundraised and acquired some replacement equipment  in case some of the pumps ceased to work.  A transit van full of equipment was delivered out to Croatia;

 

Following questions from Members, further information was provided;

 

(f)  Croatian firefighters in Varazdin County travel into their local town for training.  The Community out there are involved with the fire station, and experience is handed down;

 

(g)  local Nottinghamshire councils have been happy to support these initiatives in the past where they can, in the form of expenses;

 

(h)  two appliances from a previous trip to Nepal were held at customs in India.  One has now been released – the other is still being processed;

 

(i)  a combination of Nottinghamshire and Croatian logos will be used on the side of the Fire Engines travelling to Croatia.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  agree to support the project and donate two end of life Dennis Sabre Appliances to Varazdin County in Croatia;

 

(2)  draft a letter from the Chief of NFRS to the recipients in Croatia endorsing Members’ commitment to the project;

 

(3)  invite back Kev Ruane in future to update the Policy and Strategy committee.

 

39.

'SHAPING OUR FUTURE' - AN ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INCLUSION STRATEGY pdf icon PDF 554 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) introduced Members to the Service’s Organisational Development and Inclusion Strategy and the reporting arrangements relating to this work.

 

The following points were highlighted:

 

(a)  the report should read ‘six- monthly’ narrative reports rather than ‘bi-annual’ narrative reports;

 

(b)  response rates at the winter conferences, expressed as a percentage will  be offered at a future full Fire Authority meeting.

 

RESOLVED to:

 

(1)  note the contents of ‘Shaping our Future: An organisational development and inclusion strategy;

 

(2)  receive six-monthly narrative reports updating members on progress made against the work streams within the strategy.

 

 

40.

TRI-SERVICE CONTROL UPDATE pdf icon PDF 144 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) updated Members on the progress of the Tri-Service Control programme.

 

The following points were highlighted:

 

(a)  the Chief spoke recently with F&R services in South and West Yorkshire.  Roadmap 4 for the Tri-Service Control programme has seen a leap forward in performance;

 

(b)  little has changed over the last three months apart from a slow improvement of the system.  The system is still problematic; in addition to this a key contact at the company has had to take a leave of absence.  Continued support is in place, but the temporary loss of a key relationship is a concern;

 

(c)  there are monthly meetings with Systel.

 

RESOLVED to note the content of the report and the progress made with the Tri-Service Control Programme.

 

41.

TRANSITIONAL PENSION ARRANGEMENTS INFORMATION PROVIDED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION pdf icon PDF 194 KB

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

Neil Timms, Treasurer to the Fire Authority informed Members of the response sent to the Local Government Association on behalf of the Fire Authority relating to the Fire Brigades Union claim of age discrimination under the transitional pension arrangements within the 2015 pension scheme.

 

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report, as well as the responses provided to the Local Government Association as attached at Appendix A in the agenda pack.

42.

EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC

To consider excluding the public from the meeting during consideration of the remaining items in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the basis that, having regard to all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information by virtue of Paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the remaining items in accordance with section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the basis that, having regard to all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, as defined in paragraphs 1 & 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

43.

EXEMPT MINUTE

Of the meeting held on 29 January 2016 (for confirmation).

Minutes:

The Committee confirmed the exempt minute of the meeting held on 29 January 2016 as a true record and it was signed by the Chair.

44.

OPTIONS FOR HUCKNALL FIRE STATION

Report of the Chief Fire Officer.

Minutes:

John Buckley, Chief Fire Officer, presented the report on options for Hucknall Fire Station.

 

RESOLVED to approve option 6, which is contained within the report.