Meeting Details

Apologies for absence have been received from Councillor Dr Jones.

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, attached marked 3, of the Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting, held on 7 March 2013, 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 recieved, from members of the public.

This report, attached marked 5, asks Members to review the current Terms of Reference of the Audit and Performance Management Committee and make recommendations regarding any amendments required to the Fire Authority.

This report, attached marked 6, asks the Audit and Performance Management Committee to review the current Role Descriptions for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee and Member Champion for Risk Management and Audit and make recommendations regarding any amendments required to the Fire Authority.

Members are asked to recieve the External Auditor's Audit Plan for the year ended 31 March 2013, attached marked 7a.

The External Audit Fee Letter 2013/14, attached marked 7b, sets out details of the 2013/14 audit fee for the Authority, along with the scope and timing of External Audit's work and details of their team.

This report, attached marked 7c, contributes towards the effective two-way communication between auditors and the Authority's Audit and Performance Management Committee, as 'those charged with governance'. The report covers some important areas of the auditor risk assessment where External Audit are required to make inquiries of the Audit and Performance Management Committee under auditing standards.

This Annual Report, attached marked 8, provides Members with details of the work undertaken by Internal Audit for the year ended 31 March 2013. It reports on progress against the annual audit plan. It also provides the Head of Audit's (Audit Service Manager's) opinion on the internal controls, which in turn contributes to the review of the effectiveness of the sytems of internal control.

In December 2012, the Fire Minister, Brandon Lewis MP, commissioned Sir Ken Knight to undertake a review of efficiencies and operations in fire and rescue authorities in England. The terms of reference for the review were to explore the activity of fire and rescue authorities and see what the scope for change might be. The report ‘Facing the Future: findings from the review of efficiencies and operations in fire and rescue services in England’ is the culmination of the review. A copy of the report has previously been emailed to all Members of the Fire Authority and can be found at the following link: https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/news/shropshire-fire-and-rescue-service-welcomes-sir-ken-knight%E2%80%99s-efficiencies-report

This report, attached marked 10, summarises the progress made to date against the improvements contained in the Annual Governance Statement Improvement Plan 2012/13.

This report, attached marked 11, brings to the attention of Members guidance in respect of Annual Statements of Assurance and the revised Intervention Protocol.

As requested at the Audit and Performance Management Committee meeting on 7 March 2013, the Committee is asked to receive the following presentations from officers.

Members are asked to recieve a presentation from the Information and Communications Technology Manager, detailing the investment made in the Service's IT infrastructure and the resulting improvements.

Members are asked to receive a presentation from the Resources Manager, providing details of the PPE work stream, including the cost of implementation and the resulting benefits.

This report, attached marked 14, advises Members of summary details regarding the compliments and complaints received during 2012/13, with comparisons to 2010/11 and 2011/12.

This report, attached marked 15a, presents a summary of the Service's year-end performance for the period April 2012 to March 2013, as recorded against the Public Value performance measures, set out in the 2012/13 Service Plan.

This report, attached marked 15b, provides information regarding the ongoing performance and management of the Retained Duty System in Shropshire.