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Finance and Resources 20 July 2007
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority
Meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee held on 20 July 2007 at Fire Service Headquarters, Birkenshaw
Present: Councillors P Harrand (in the Chair),
J Cole, M Coulson, J Godward, D Hollingsworth,
M Jamil, R Light (with the exception of agenda item 9, Min no. 8 refers), B Smith and R Taylor
Apologies: Councillors Firth and Ogilvie
In attendance: Councillor P Booth
1 Minutes of the Last Meeting
Resolved
That the Minutes of the Committee at a meeting held on 27 April 2007 be signed by the Chair as a correct record.
2 Urgent items
None.
3 Exclusion of the Public - Section 100A, Local Government Act 1972
Resolved
That the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the items of business specified below as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public and press were present during these items, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information of the descriptions specified.
Agenda Item No. - E19
Title of Report - Electrical Contract Award
Minute Number -18
Description of exempt information by reference to the
paragraph number in
Schedule 12 A of the
Local Government Act 1972 - Paragraph 3 – financial
or business affairs
Agenda Item No. - E20
Title of Report - Whitehall Road access
Minute Number - 19
Description of exempt information by reference to the paragraph number in Schedule 12 A of the
Local Government Act 1972 - Paragraph 3 – financial
or business affairs
4 Disclosures of Interest
There were no disclosures of interest in any matter under discussion at the meeting.
5 Wide Area Flooding Activity
Consideration was given to a report of the Director
of Operations which informed Members of the activity arising from the wide area flooding incidents of 25 June 2007.
It was reported that an estimate of the overtime being claimed in week commencing 24 June 2007 would cost the Authority approximately £50,000.
Members were advised that both South Yorkshire and Humberside Fire and Rescue Authorities would be charged for the work done outside the county under the Bellwin scheme in respect of the overtime response to the wide area flooding.
Resolved
(i) That the report be noted; and
(ii) That the appreciation of Members of the Authority be passed to all those officers engaged in flood relief work in respect of their high level of
commitment to service delivery.
6 2006 / 7 Backward-Looking Efficiency Statement
The Chief Finance Officer submitted a report which presented the backward-looking efficiency statement for 2006 / 7.
Members were advised that over £10 million in cashable efficiency savings had been achieved, representing twice the indicative target figure, and
which had accrued as a result of the following;
• Changes to shift systems / crewing arrangements (Integrated Risk Management Plan implementation)
• Reductions in ill health retirement
• Improved procurement (insurance renewals and purchase of fire appliances)
Members considered the report in detail and the Chief Finance Officer responded to issues raised by Members with respect to each section of the efficiency statement 2006 / 7.
Resolved
That the report be noted.
7 Quarterly Financial Review
Members considered a report of the Chief Finance Officer which presented a quarterly overview of the financial position of the Authority.
It was reported that the forecast was for a revenue underspending of £0.398m resulting from savings as follows;
• Reduction in overtime costs (wholetime and retained firefighters)
• Fire and Rescue staff vacancies
• Reduced insurance premiums
• Firefighter pay settlement
Details of expenditure on capital schemes were detailed in an annex to the report now submitted and approval was sought for a revised capital plan of £12.779m.
Members were further advised of issues relating to Treasury Management and Debtors and Creditors and the Chief Finance Officer responded in detail
to queries raised by Members in respect of the information contained within the financial review report.
Resolved
(i) That the report be noted; and
(ii) That approval be given to a revised capital plan of £12.779m in the current financial year.
8 SAP – Expenditure For Upgrade
The Director of Human Resources submitted a report which sought approval for the purchase of additional SAP software modules and upgrades to enable the introduction of integrated training and development functions at a capital cost of £153,000.
It was reported that the revenue costs of the expenditure in the form of capital financing charges would be £3,600 in the current year rising to
£36,500 in a full year. Expenditure would be met from within existing resources.
Resolved
(i) That approval be given to the inclusion in the approved capital plan of an
additional scheme for the purchase of additional SAP software modules; and
(ii) That approval be given to a capital expenditure of £153,000 in respect of (i) above and of ongoing revenue costs.
9 Ethical Governance Health Check – Additional Funding
Members considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources which sought approval for additional expenditure on the use of the Ethical
Governance Toolkit (EGT).
It was reported that approval had been given at the 26 March meeting of the Executive Committee for the use of the EGT subject to the cost not exceeding £2,500. Members were advised that, since that time, more accurate indications of the costs involved had been received from the Improvement and Development Agency (I&DeA) which projected costs to be in the region of £3,000 including expenses.
Resolved
That the approval be given to the additional funding required for the implementation of the Ethical Governance Healthcheck by the Local Government Association’s Improvement and Development Agency in association with the Standards Board for England and the Audit Commission.
10 Home Fire Safety Check Policy
The Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations submitted a report which informed Members of the contents of the newly revised Home Fire Safety Check Policy.
Resolved
That the content of the Home Fire Safety Check Policy, as detailed at an annex to the report now submitted, be noted and approved.
11 High Risk Reduction Strategy
Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations which sought approval for the content and use of the High Risk Reduction Strategy.
It was reported that the strategy would assist staff in identifying high-risk vulnerable members of the community to ensure intervention using a range of initiatives.
Resolved
That the content of the High Risk Reduction Strategy, as detailed at an annex to the report now submitted, be noted and approved.
12 Use of Community Rooms – Policy
Members considered a report of the Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations which sought approval for a policy for the use of Community Rooms contained within Fire Authority premises. A copy of the proposed policy was attached as an annex to the report now submitted.
Resolved
That the content of the policy for the use of Community Rooms be noted and approved.
13 Fire Place – Feasibility Study
The Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations submitted a report which invited Members to note the findings of the Fire Place feasibility report which had been commissioned by the Authority and which had
informed recommendations for the development of the centre for which planning approval had been granted by Leeds City Council.
Members were advised that the Fire Place would focus on issues relating to;
• Road safety
• Alcohol abuse
• Community cohesion (specifically youth inclusion / Prince’s Trust)
• Criminal damage and deliberate fire prevention
• Work with minority ethnic communities to increase safety in the home
• Safety awareness for older people
• Accident prevention for vulnerable groups
• Kids Task Force
It was reported that overall provision for the scheme of £4m had been included in the capital plan, of
which approval had been given to spend £250,000 on design and project management services.
Resolved
(i) That the Fire Place be developed as a Centre for Excellence for the
development and delivery of safety awareness and education;
(ii) That, as evidence of its ground breaking nature, Fire Place’s unique selling point be seen as its ability to draw together complementary safety messages from partners and to develop effective safety education products for a wide range of target audiences;
(iii) That planned work on development of permanent fire related, exhibits on the site be replaced by the design of portable exhibits to provide both on and offsite resources;
(iv) That work begin with immediate effect on commissioning development work related to the eight focus areas as detailed in the report now submitted; and
(v) That the Steering Group (comprising Councillors Cole and Coulson, the
Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations (Craig McIntosh), District
Manager Steve Rhodes and Community Relations Manager, Sarah Laidlow-
Moore) continue to meet throughout the life cycle of the project to ensure
continuity in respect of the aim and purpose of the scheme.
14 Prince's Trust – Pilot Project
Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations which informed Members of a pilot youth inclusion programme working with the Prince’s Trust.
It was reported that, following discussions with the Trust, this Authority could participate on two levels – that of “Team” and “Delivery Partner status”. Participation in the scheme would provide an opportunity for this Authority to contribute to the delivery of the Children and Young People strategy whilst benefiting the personal development of Authority staff.
Members were advised that the costs associated with “team” involvement would be £1,250 plus a commitment of a minimum of 20 days’ staff time and,
for the initial trial, could be met from existing Community Safety budgets and staffing costs. Costs for the“delivery partner” status would exceed
£25,000.
Resolved
(i) That the Authority be involved with the Prince’s Trust at a “team” level, as a pilot project; and
(ii) That the Authority’s involvement be evaluated during the initial trial to identify benefits and potential weaknesses of the scheme.
15 Kids’ Task Force – Pilot Project
The Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations submitted a report which provided information about the Kids’ Taskforce and Missdorothy.com
It was reported that, in furthering its commitment to promoting the safety of children and young people, it was now proposed to participate in the Kids’ Taskforce – a project launched by the Association of Chief Police Officers in partnership with the Chief Fire Officers’ Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association. The aim of the project was to support the delivery of a consistent standard of personal safety messages in schools using the missdorothy.com and Watch Over Me education programmes.
Members were advised that topics included in the project included;
• Arson reduction
• Road safety
• Hoax calls
• Attacks on firefighters and stealing equipment
• Anti-social behaviour
• Reporting an emergency
• Recognising signs of smoke and fire and not playing with matches
• Checking smoke alarms, and
• Fireworks
The estimated cost of the pilot scheme would be £15,000 for 3,000 children in the West Yorkshire area and included the cost of producing workbooks and teachers’ packs, direct delivery of materials to school, provision of three teacher training sessions and additional copies of the Authority’s personal
safety soap opera for secondary schools, Watch Over Me. The cost would be financed from within the Fire Safety Publicity budget.
Resolved
(i) That the participation in the pilot project be endorsed with a planned start date of September 2007; and
(ii) That an evaluation report be submitted to the July 2008 meeting of this
Committee to include;
• An assessment of the benefit derived from the scheme by this Authority,
delivery partners and target audience
• Staff and resource implications for the roll-out of the scheme across West
Yorkshire; and
• The identification of groups of young people, with associated potential
solutions, for whom this
approach may not be suitable.
16 Road Safety Reduction Strategy
Members considered a report of the Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations which advised of the Road Safety Reduction Strategy.
It was reported that participation in road safety casualty reduction activities by the Fire and Rescue Service had been recommended in the National Framework document 2006 / 8.
Members were advised that it was proposed to utilise the implementation strategy as devised by the Chief Fire Officers’ Association and a Road Safety Reduction Strategy and Action plan had been drafted to provide a systematic approach which would be embedded within the Integrated Risk Management Plan. Copies of the strategy and action plan were attached as an annex to the report now submitted.
A revenue budget had been established to fund the delivery of the strategy until 2009 / 10 although it was recognised that, in order to make a real contribution, resources from the Community Safety teams, Operational and Training staff would be required on a long-term basis.
Resolved
That the contents of the Road Safety Reduction Strategy be noted and the action plan approved.
17 Local Government Yorkshire and Humber - Background
Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Fire Safety and Community Relations which informed Members of the activities of the Local Government Yorkshire and Humber Regional Improvement Partnership.
Resolved
(i) That the report be noted; and
(ii) That continued membership and involvement with the Local Government
Yorkshire and Humber Regional Improvement Partnership be approved.
18 Electrical Contract Award
(This item was considered as exempt information under Schedule 12 A (3) of the Local Government Act 1972 – business or financial affairs)
The Director of Corporate Resources submitted a report which sought approval for a new three-year electrical maintenance contract with an option for a further two-year extension for all Fire Authority premises from 1 August 2007, or as soon as practicable thereafter.
Resolved
(i) That the necessary revenue expenditure, as detailed in the report now
submitted, be approved; and
(ii) That the revenue expenditure at (i) above be funded from within existing
Property Management unit budgets.
19 Whitehall Road Access
(This item was considered as exempt information under Schedule 12 A (3) of the Local Government Act 1972 – business or financial affairs)
Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Corporate Resources which updated Members on
the planning process for the new site access on Whitehall Road and associated land development to locate operational Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and training facilities and which sought approval for the appointment of consultants to commence the project management and detailed design of the scheme.
Resolved
(i) That approval be given to the proposed expenditure (as detailed in the report now submitted) for the detailed design and project management of the Whitehall Road access and land development scheme; and
(ii) That details of the required planning process and building control approvals be noted.
Chair
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