Meeting Details

Apologies for absence have been received from Councillor Kiernan.

Members are reminded that they must not participate in the discussion of, or voting on any matter, in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, and should leave the room prior to the commencement of the debate.

Members are asked to agree the minutes of the Fire Authority meeting, held on 25 September 2013, attached marked 3, and that they be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

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

This report, to follow marked 5a, asks Members to consider the recommendation from its Standards and Human Resources Committees that the two Committees be merged into one. Should the Authority agree this recommendation, there are a number of other decisions it then needs to make.

A schedule of proposed dates for 2014 meetings of the Fire Authority and its committees is attached, marked 5b for approval.

Members are asked to receive the non-exempt minutes of the Human Resources Committee meeting, held on 17 October 2013 and attached marked 6.

Members are asked to receive the non-exempt minutes of the Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting, held on 14 November 2013 and attached marked 8.

This report, attached marked 9, summarises the budgets that are proposed by the Strategy and Resources Committee. The results are put forward to the Fire Authority for approval as the basis for consultation, leading to a final decision at the Fire Authority meeting in February 2014. Please note the Appendix to the report (the Green Booklet) is attached.

The meeting was arranged through Philip Dunne MP and was held in a committee room within the houses of parliament. All of the Shropshire conservative MPs attended. As this was a group of conservative MPs meeting a Conservative Minister, David Wright (Labour) was not invited. The Chair of the Fire Authority, Stuart West, and Councillor Eric Carter attended from the Fire Authority, together with the Chief Fire Officer. In addition to Brandon Lewis, Neil O'Connor, the Head of Fire and Emergency Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), and a number of civil servants were also in attendance. The meeting was opened by Philip Dunne, following which the Chief Fire Officer gave a presentation, outlining the Fire Authority 's funding position going forward, and the likely consequences of implementing proposals to reduce the budget. He also outlined three proposals that would alleviate the funding pressures on the Authority. The MPs were all supportive of the Authority's approach. The Minister responded, that although he was very sympathetic to our position as a rural fire service (he is an MP from Great Yarmouth), he thought that meeting our proposals would be difficult. The Minister responded to each of the three key proposals as follows: Review of the funding formula He said that the DCLG has no plans to review the formula. He understands the inequality in funding between fire services but has no plans to address it via a review of the formula at present. A flat rate increase in precept He said that this had been introduced last year as a one off and that they will not be doing the same again this year, because it is outside government policy. Sparsity When asked if he could look at removing the damping mechanism to allow funding to flow from the urban areas to the rural areas, he agreed to do so. What this means is unclear. The Minister gave no indication of any planned changes to the funding mechanism or to any other policy that would give the Authority some optimism, apart from a recognition of the need to look again at sparsity. The meeting was useful in that it was an opportunity to state the Authority's case and at the same time support the wider rural / urban funding lobby.

Phase two of the Integrated Risk Management Planning (IRMP) 2020 process is continuing with Members of the Strategic Risk and Planning Working Group (StRaP) attending numerous meetings with staff, local councillors and MPs to discuss the various options being explored as part of the Impact Appraisal process. The following timetable for Phase 3 is proposed: Results from Phase 2 are considered by StRaP on 23 January 2014, with recommendations going via Strategy and Resources Committee to the Fire Authority on 26 February 2014; StRaP will meet on 20 March 2014 to agree the Phase 3 strategy, with implementation from April to June 2014; The results from Phase 3 will be considered by StRaP on 4 September 2014, with recommendations going via Strategy and Resources Committee to the Fire Authority on 8 October 2014; and The Fire Authority's Integrated Risk Management Plan 2015-20 will be published, with implementation starting in January 2015 onwards.

Members are asked to consider a resolution under section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined by the provisions of Part I of Schedule 12(A) to the Act, by virtue of Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.

Members are asked to receive the exempt minutes of the Human Resources Committee meeting, held on 17 October 2013 and attached marked 14.

Members are asked to receive the exempt minutes of the Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting, held on 14 November 2013 and attached marked 15.

This report, attached marked 16, advises Members of special exemptions from Standing Orders relating to Contracts, which have been agreed by the Chief Fire Officer and the Treasure, after consultation with the Chair of the Fire Authority.

This report, attached marked 17, sets out the Chief Fire Officer's intentions regarding the structure of Brigade Management and asks the Fire Authority to direct the Brigade Manager's Employment Panel to plan the process for recruitment of a Deputy Chief Fire Officer.

This report, attached marked 18, advises of developments relating to Shropshire Fire Risk Management Services Ltd