FSMC Priorities 2019-2020

Purpose of report

For discussion.

Summary

This paper provides an overview of the potential priorities and activities for Fire Services Management Committee for the coming LGA meeting cycle. The proposals are based on both corporate LGA priorities and options for broader work based on a combination of areas of interest previously indicated by Committee members, ongoing work and recent policy announcements by Government.

Recommendations Members are asked to comment on the draft FSMC priorities for 2019-20. Actions Officers to use Fire Service’s Management Committee’s comments on the draft priorities to draft a workplan to deliver the priorities.

Contact officer:	Lucy Ellender

Position:	Senior Adviser

Phone no:	020 7664 3321

Email:	lucy.ellender@local.gov.uk

FSMC Priorities 2019-2020

Background

At the Fire Commission in October members discussed the priorities for the FSMC. The purpose of the discussion was to inform the work of the FSMC for the coming year. This paper summarises the discussion and suggests a number of amendments to the priorities in line with the Fire Commission’s feedback.

The priorities suggested within this paper for the FSMC, reflect not only the specific policy priorities of the FSMC, but also the work that the LGA Leadership Board has asked LGA Boards to undertake based on the overall policy priorities of the LGA.

Fire Services Management Committee discussion

At the FSMC meeting in June, members highlighted two key publications expected in the autumn of 2019 as the primary focus for the LGA’s work due to their potential impact on the fire and rescue service. These were:

The State of the Nation report from HMICFRS: covering a wide number of issues including inclusion, diversity, culture, values, risk, protection and talent management.

The Phase One report from the Grenfell inquiry and wider building safety work

Other issues were also discussed including:

Transparency and standards

Spending Review

Governance

Workforce development

Fire Commission discussion

At the September meeting of the Fire Commission members held a discussion on the priorities for the LGA. At that meeting members also had presentations from HMICFRS, the Fire Standards Board and Ann Millington on the NFCC’s Inclusion Strategy. Members were asked what they were most concerned about in their area, what their key priorities were and if they felt that any priorities for the LGA were missing from those outlined in paragraphs 3-4.

Members highlighted a number of concerns at a local level:

Risk: Following HMICFRS’s presentation and the issues they identified in tranches 1 and 2 around the consistency of risk identification and planning, there was a discussion on the quality of IRMPs. Members also highlighted the risk posed by climate change and the changing nature of incidents

Funding: Members were particularly concerned about the sustainability and flexibility of funding following the one year spending round.

Workforce: Inclusion was highlighted as a key issue, with members discussing the need to deliver real diversity as well as culture and values. Difficulties around recruitment and retention; on-call issues; industrial relations; and the recruitment of senior staff were also highlighted.

Building safety: Members discussed the impact of Grenfell and what that will mean for the service. Other building safety issues discussed included sprinklers, the risks associated with buildings lower than 18 metres.

In particular members were keen to see further work around inclusion, ensuring that it was seen as integral to the service and its future.

Proposed priorities

The feedback on the priorities outlined in the Fire Commission paper was generally positive however inclusion was highlighted as a particular issue that needed more prominence in our work going forwards. Members felt that there was still further work needed to embed inclusion within fire and rescue services and ensure that the value of it was understood.

It is therefore proposed that for this year the FSMC has inclusion as a separate priority, with the long term intention being that it will become embedded within mainstream work within the FSMC for the future, without needing to be a priority on its own. However to ensure that it has a high profile for this year it will be a priority, albeit a cross cutting one.

The proposed key priorities are therefore as follows:

HMICFRS State of the Nation Report: this will include a variety of challenges and recommendations for the FRS around inclusion, diversity, culture, values, risk, protection and talent management and consistency.

Building safety: including the Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Work also continues on wider building safety issues including the implementation of the recommendations from Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of fire safety and the building regulations, and the work by MHCLG to develop a new regulatory framework. There will also be further work on sprinklers.

Inclusion: this work encompasses a range of issues including diversity, talent management, culture, values as well as strengthening our ability to provide a good service to our communities by reflecting them. Achieving true inclusion and change in the service will take time and will become business as usual in the future.

Other key issues for the FSMC:

Spending Review: working with the Home Office and NFCC to ensure that the sector’s funding needs are understood and that the sector receives sustainable funding

Transparency and standards; supporting FRAs on the improvement journey through the provision of peer challenges and sector support which complements the inspection regime as well as continuing to work with HMICFRS on the inspection regime and the Fire Standards Board;

Governance: continue to work with areas on their governance including where changes to governance are proposed, undertaking two masterclasses on governance and scrutiny to support members.

Workforce development: Including pay and broadening the role. Though this work comes under the National Joint Council the issues have a wider impact, policy and workforce officers will therefore continue to work together on these issues.

Work programme

HMICFRS

It is expected that HMICFRS’s State of the Nation report will highlight a wide number of areas for further work and the LGA will need to respond to those issues. The LGA will:

engage with the NFCC’s Community Risk Programme which will be producing tools for FRAs on the Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) process looking at producing greater consistency across the sector in IRMPs

engage in further discussions with partners on what could be standardised to increase consistency across the sector whilst highlighting the importance of a local approach

ensure that our support offer is understood across the sector and easily accessible

refresh the fire peer pool

undertake a gap analysis of leadership in the sector

engage with the NFCC’s Executive Leadership Programme Board to help develop future senior officers for the sector

highlight the benefits of collaboration with other partners including health and other blue light services as well as proper evaluation

continue to support the NFCC’s work on procurement and value for money. NFCC lead this work with the LGA playing a supportive role.

Building Safety

The Phase One report of the Grenfell Inquiry is due to be published later this year, most likely in October. It is anticipated the report will set out in detail what happened on the night of the fire on 14 June 2017, including a detailed account and analysis of what was happening in the incident control room and on the ground, and the response of the emergency services. It is also anticipated the Inquiry’s Chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, will make recommendations based on the evidence gathered as part of Phase One.

The LGA will:

respond to the Phase One Report of the Grenfell Inquiry and any findings relevant for fire and rescue authorities

respond to the Government’s consultation on lowering the height threshold at which sprinklers are a required in new blocks of flats from 30 metres to 18 metres, including our wider asks around considering the vulnerability of residents when requiring sprinklers

continue to promote the use of sprinklers

engage with the newly formed Fire Protection Board set up by the Home Office to ensure that the new assurance scheme will be proportionate

shape the development of the new regulatory framework for fire safety through the Joint Regulators Group, and support fire and rescue authorities implement the new framework which is due to come into force by 2021

continue to lobby for sustainable funding for any new burdens for the fire and rescue service as a result of the Grenfell Inquiry and Hackitt Review.

Inclusion

Work on inclusion will run through the work of the FSMC, with the intention that it will not need to be a standalone priority in the future. To support our members the LGA will:

work with the NFCC’s people programme on the actions within the Inclusion Strategy to embed inclusion within the service

run two further regional diversity masterclasses for members in January to provide opportunities for discussion and learning.

create a new network for FRAs’ diversity champions to provide peer support for members working on these issues in December.

organise a further summit on the Memorandum of Understanding on equality, diversity, behaviours and organisational culture in the Fire Service to gain a understanding of what has changed since the MoU was signed and where further work is needed.

engage with the LGA’s wider work on intimidation within the local government sector to highlight the issues facing senior appointments in the sector

promote online unconscious bias training available through the LGA

undertake an exercise to try and determine the diversity of new recruits into the sector

Other issues

In addition FSMC members agreed that there were a range of other issues including the spending review, transparency and standards, governance and workforce development. These are ongoing areas of interest to the FSMC and for the sector more widely. To support our members we will:

continue to lobby for sustainable funding for the sector primarily based on risk as a part of the Senior Sector Group.

continue to hold the LGA’s Leadership Essentials Programme for Chairs and leading members on FRAs.

hold a session for new members on FRAs in June

run two regional workshops on good governance as well as a member and officer event on creating a good governance relationship

highlight the good practice case studies hub for the LGA with members to share the positive outcomes from their work

continue to be a part of the Fire Standards Board to help shape the standards process

Work commissioned from the LGA policy boards by the LGA Leadership Board

The LGA’s business plan is currently being refreshed, and proposes a series of corporate priorities, including responding to the Grenfell Tower fire. Following the July 2019 motion of the LGA General Assembly calling upon the government to explore the domestic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through funded partnership roles with local authority areas, [and] encouraging councils to continue to link local priorities with the overall ambitions of the SDGs and declaring a climate emergency, the business plan is being developed in the context of the SDGs.

As in previous years, LGA policy Boards are being asked to incorporate cross-cutting LGA priorities within their work programmes. The priorities identified in the new LGA Business Plan are as follows:

Funding for local government

Adult social care, health and wellbeing

Children, education and schools

Housing and sustainable communities

Economic growth and employment

Climate action

Britain’s exit from the EU

Strong local democracy

Supporting councils

The way we work

The work of the Fire Commission and FSMC makes a contribution particularly to the work on housing and sustainable communities. Members also discussed the role of the fire and rescue service in responding to changing incidents as a result of climate change. There may therefore be further work on this issue for the sector.

Implications for Wales

Fire and rescue related policy is a devolved matter and much of the Committee’s work will focus on changes for FRAs in England, with the Welsh Local Government Association leading on lobbying for Welsh Fire and Rescue Authorities in Cardiff.

Financial Implications

This programme of work will be delivered within existing budgets. Additional supporting projects maybe commissioned subject to funds being available from a small team budget.

Next steps

Officers will create a work programme based on members comments.