Meeting Details

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 agree the minutes of the Fire Authority meeting, held on 9 February 2011, and that they be signed by the Chair as a correct record. Attached marked 3

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 Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting, held on 10 March 2011, attached marked 5 and consider the recommendation at item 10 that the Fire Authority adopt the Anti-Fraud And Corruption Strategy, attached marked 5a.

Members are asked to receive the minutes of the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting, held on 17 March 2011, attached, marked 6, and consider the recommendations at items 7, 8 and 9. A copy of The Service Plan 2011/12 (referred to at item 7) is attached, marked 6a. A copy of the report, containing the recommendations to be considered at item 8, is attached marked 6b. A copy of the report, containing the recommendation to be agreed at item 9, is attached marked 6c.

This report, attached marked 7, advises of the work carried out by the Fire Authority’s Strategy and Resources Committee during the municipal year 2010/2011.

Members are asked to receive the non-exempt minutes of the Human Resources Committee meeting, held on 7 April 2011, attached marked 8, and consider the recommendations at items 6a, 7 and 8. These are set out below in the order, in which they were considered by the Committee. Item 8 That the Terms of Reference of the Human Resources Committee be changed in order that consideration of outside employment applications be delegated to officers Item 6a That the following changes be made to the Terms of Reference of the Committee Delete: To consider and determine applications by uniformed personnel for permission to undertake outside employment, and to set conditions under which approval is granted To review and amend, where required, the processes for dealing with applications for outside employment Add: To receive minutes from the Pensions Panel Should this addition be agreed, this would, in turn, be reflected in the constitution of the Pensions Panel. Where the Panel makes any decision, which has a financial impact on the Fire Authority, then this information would be brought to the full Fire Authority for noting. Reference to this would also be included in the Panel’s constitution. Item 7 That the following be deleted from Role Descriptions for the Chair and Vice Chair of the Human Resources Committee: To consider, and grant provisional approval to (or otherwise), Applications for Outside Employment, together with the Chair / Vice-Chair of the Human Resources Committee

This report, attached marked 9, reviews progress against the Fire Authority’s 2010 / 2011 Work Plan and puts forward a 2011 / 2012 Work Plan for consideration and approval by Members.

This report, attached marked 10, proposes various changes to the Fire Authority’s committee structure in order to make it more efficient.

This report, attached marked 11, sets out changes in the Accounts and Audit (England) Regulations 2011 as they affect the timing of the approval of the Statement of Accounts for the last financial year, reviews the options for the Fire Authority and asks for approval to a way forward.

This report, attached marked 12, sets outs proposals and recommendations to enter into negotiations with Shropshire Council to review options to enter into a shared services arrangement to secure improvements to the Service's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure. The shared services arrangement, if approved at a later date, will make effective use of the proposed ICT reserve to support migration to the Council's new wide area network to underpin the Service's ICT Strategy for the next 3 to 5 year period. Please note that this report should be considered in conjunction with exempt report 15a.

This report, attached marked 13, advises of the change made to the Government’s ‘approved mileage allowance payments’ in the recent budget and asks the Fire Authority whether it wishes formally to link the travel allowance payable to Members to such payments.

Following earlier Fire Authority approval for the Service to enter into formal collaboration with Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority/Service it can be reported that significant progress has been made to date with, as a time-bound priority, a recently produced Outline Business Case (OBC) prepared by the two organisations. The OBC was prepared in respect of a joint application for central government funding to support the implementation of the proposed ‘shared’ control room infrastructure between the two Services. The OBC will now be supplemented by a formal overarching Memorandum of Understanding setting out the full scope and expected outcomes of the collaboration, for consideration and agreement by each respective Fire Authority in June/July 2011.

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 item on the grounds that it involves 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 and 2.

Members are asked to receive and note the exempt minutes of the Human Resources Committee meeting, held on 7 April 2011.