10 February 2010

Members are reminded that they should declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests at this point and that they should leave the meeting room before any item, in which they have a prejudicial interest, is discussed.

Members are asked to receive any questions, statements or petitions, of which notice has been received, from members of the public.

Members are asked to receive the minutes of the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting, held on 22 January 2010, and consider the recommendations at items 5 (a copy of the relevant report is attached as an Appendix to the minutes).

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pdf-630-2010-2-10-06-sr-minutes-22-1-10.pdf	245.01 KB

This report seeks Fire Authority approval to a budget for 2010/11; Council Tax levels for 2010/11; and precepts on billing authorities and related matters.

Attachment	Size
pdf-632-2010-2-10-08-revenue-budget-and-capital-programme-2010-11-precept.pdf	390.51 KB

At its meeting on 3 July 2009 the Fire Authority approved the use of Telford & Wrekin Borough Council's Contract Procedure Rules in the procurement of a contractor to carry out the refurbishment of Shrewsbury Station. Since then the Council's officers have been managing the tender process in accordance with those Rules on behalf of the Fire Authority.
Under the Rules, tenders over £500,000, which are covered by an approved capital budget, may be accepted by the appropriate Head of Service, following consultation with the Leader/Deputy Leader (Cabinet), or Chairman/Vice-Chairman (Board/Committee) and the acceptance must be reported to the next meeting of the appropriate Cabinet, Committee or Board for information.

The Rules also state that the tender accepted should be in the Council's best interests.

In order to comply as far as is possible with the above rules it is recommended that the Fire Authority agree to delegate authority to the Chief Fire Officer and Treasurer to accept the tender, which is in the Authority’s best interests, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Authority. Once the decision had been made it would be reported to the next meeting of the full Authority. Members are asked to consider and decide upon this recommendation.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has procured, and allocated to fire and rescue authorities, vehicles and equipment as part of a national capability (known as 'New Dimension') to respond to major disruptive events. The Department now wishes to transfer those assets to individual authorities and has asked them to enter into a Transfer of Assets Agreement.

At its meeting on 16 December 2009, because further information was awaited, the Fire Authority delegated authority to its Strategy and Resources Committee to decide whether the Authority should enter into the Agreement. The Committee met on 22 January and agreed to write to the Department, setting out its continuing concerns regarding the Agreement, and to await the response, before taking any further steps.

In December 2009, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service received a prestigious European Award for Road Safety, which was presented at a formal ceremony by the European Commissioner for Transport. Although 11 other Fire and Rescue Services competed for the Award, the European Commission felt that Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service’s strategy and activities in road safety displayed the strongest commitment to the reduction of death and injuries from road traffic collisions.

Without the support and contribution of its partners the Service would not have been able to deliver such an effective strategy or wun this prestigious award. This is a clear indication of how effective partnership working can have a dramatic effect on the performance of the Service. Thanks are due to the following partners, who were involved in the strategy:

• Shropshire Council Road Safety Team
• Telford & Wrekin Council Road Safety Team
• West Mercia Police
• West Mercia Safer Roads Partnership
• West Mercia Probation
• The Institute of Advanced Motorists

Members are asked to agree the exempt minutes of the Fire Authority meeting, held on 16 December 2009, and Fire Authority Extraordinary Meeting, held on 21 December 2009, and that each set be signed by the Chair as a correct record, attached marked 16a and 16b respectively.