Memorandum by Councillor Byrom (DRA 67)
This submission is made with the full support
of all Chief Fire Officers and Chairs of the five Fire and Rescue
Authorities in the North West.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This submission relates to the proposals in
the draft Bill for the delivery of fire and rescue services in
the region (sections 85 and 86). The submission raises concerns
at the "one dimensional" approach currently proposed
by the Bill, and argues that a Regional Assembly should have flexibility
to consider the relationships, which it believes, are important
to improve services at regional level, rather than be constrained
by the current singular approach.
The submission draws attention to the views
of a previous select committee about the Fire and Rescue Service,
who were not convinced that sufficient evidence had been put forward
to support the creation of Regional Fire and Rescue Authorities.
The submission suggests that as Regional Management
Board (RMB) have been established for less than six months, and
are still making significant progress in implementing a regional
approach to issues such as procurement, there is significant merit
in considering allowing the regional management board model sufficient
time to develop and deliver on the regional agenda.
Some examples are given of how Regional Boards
are able to provide a "best of both worlds" solution.
Given time, RMBs will be able to offer services best delivered
at a regional level, whilst continuing to be accountable to local
people and communities, for example Regional Control Centres.
The submission argues that the continual comparison
to the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority model, as
the exemplar model for all regional approaches in the future,
is an unsustainable comparison.
Finally, the submission proposes that a fully
costed and transparent business case should be developed to demonstrate
that there are real and tangible efficiency saving to be made,
as opposed to optimal and hypothetical efficiencies.
This submission is made with the full support
of all Chief Fire Officers and Chairs of the five Fire and Rescue
Authorities in the North West.
INTRODUCTION
1. The Government recently launched The
Fire and Rescue Service National Framework[104]
a measure proposed in the Government White Paper, Our Fire and
Rescue Service[105]
as a way of giving greater strength and direction to the Fire
and Rescue Service. This was in response to the Independent Review
of the Fire Service[106]
(the Bain review), which concluded there was an inadequate guidance
or leadership on fire policy.
2. All of these documents make reference
to the National, Regional and local expectations and responsibilities.
They all recognise that the regional level is an efficient operational
level for many functions, in particular securing the safety of
the community in the event of terrorist attack or other major
emergencies and regional control centres. This is already happening
through Regional Fire and Rescue Management Boards set up in April
2004.
3. However there is also strong emphasis
placed on the local delivery of service. Indeed, local Fire Authorities
must produce an Integrated Risk Management Plan which reflects
need and which sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing
and potential risks to communities[107]
4. Clearly, therefore, there is a regional
versus local dimension emerging from the reports previously referred
to although there are significant differences in how the regional
aspect should be approached. Sir George Bain's independent review
was clear that "the Fire Service should be managed by people
with good understanding of the local issues" and that "amalgamations
have not produced the large economies expected". He went
on to say that "any regional structure for the Fire Service
should follow the establishment of Regional Assemblies not precede
them".
5. The White Paper saw Regional Management
Boards as providing the regional approach initially, before a
move to regional fire and rescue authorities. Interestingly, the
White Paper does provide a caveat by recognising, in practice;
it may be more appropriate for some larger regions to introduce
two or three sub-regional combinations of authorities.
6. The Governments own National Framework
also sees Regional Management Boards actively dealing with the
areas it specifies, except where those areas that vote to establish
a Regional Assembly where a Regional Fire and Rescue Fire Authority
will be established.
7. It is clear from the above that a regional
dimension to the work of the Fire and Rescue Service is required
but achieving that through one model is not agreed. The easiest
way to summarise this Regional versus Local tension is that one
size does not fit all.
8. Government is quite clear that these
issues are be dealt with at a Regional level are:
— Integrate Common and Specialist services,
eg fire investigation;
— Put in effective resilience plans
for large scale emergencies;
— Introduce regional personnel and
human resource functions;
— Develop a regional approach to training;
— Establish regional control centres;
and
— Introduce regional procurement within
the context of a potential procurement strategy.
9. These strands of work are recognised
as giving potential for providing a better service and/or creating
efficiencies.
10. A Regional Fire and Rescue Authority
could clearly oversee and "own" these issues but further
consideration needs to be given to the expectations and requirements
at a local level, particularly in terms of local leadership, and
whether a regional structure could meet these aims.
11. We would draw your attention to the
views of a previous select committee about the Fire and Rescue
Service, who were not convinced that sufficient evidence had been
put forward to support the creation of Regional Fire and Rescue
Authorities.
12. "We recognise that there are cost
advantages to a regional approach on issues like procurement and
agree that there should be a regional approach to dealing with
terrorism. We are less convinced that there is sufficient evidence
to support the creation of Regional Fire and Rescue Authorities.
13. We believe it is of great credit to
Regional Management Boards that although they have only been established
for less than six months, they are already making significant
progress in implementing a regional approach to issues such as
procurement, we believe there is significant merit in allowing
the regional management board model sufficient time to develop
and deliver on the regional agenda.
14. Already we are seeing significant progress
being made. Regional Controls are being delivered within this
model. Regional procurement is taking place, regional collaboration
on a range of specialist services, and the development of a regional
approach to training is underway.
15. At a local level the fire and rescue
service is playing a fundamental part in community safety and
neighbourhood renewal agendas. The only fire service beacon councils
are in the North West, and all authorities in the North West are
very actively engaged, and taking advantage of the innovation
and creativity that is supported and shared at a regional level.
16. We have seen no evidence of these innovative
approaches to making our communities safer, and our local partnerships
stronger, emerging from any other model of service delivery.
LEADERSHIP OF
A BETTER
FIRE AND
RESCUE SERVICE
17. Leadership has never been more important
in the Fire Service than now as we have already embarked on a
process of change. Modern Fire Service leaders need to be creative
through innovation and diversity, forge relationships with their
communities, interact through an inter-agency network, reduce
risk in the community and provide "Gold" level incident
command in times of crisis.
18. Just as the term "Span of Control"
is used in an emergency incident command system to describe "the
number of lines of relatively constant communication that must
be maintained[108]
this can also be applied to the leadership of an organisation.
What is critical is to recognise the point at which an organisation
is of a scale where the leadership requirements referred to above,
are effectively, beyond the control of the Chief Executive and
are either diluted or transferred to a lower level. In the context
of Regions, this would be to a sub-regional level.
19. The Society of Local Authority Chief
Executives and Junior Managers (SOLACE), recognise the role of
a Chief Executive. They say, "It is true in most organisations
that a dynamic open-minded person at the top is probably the most
crucial factor in whether the organisation approaches challenges
with imagination and creativity"[109]
Chief Executives had to be visible both within and outside the
organisation if the Authority was to be successful.
20. In a Fire and Rescue Service context,
any structure must meet their competing demands of economies/effectiveness
of scale and local leadership. In simple term, when issues arise
of substance at a local fire station, the community expects access
to its Chief Fire Officer.
21. Span of Control issues are important.
In 1993, a Government inquiry was undertaken into the management
and operation of the London Ambulance Service (LAS). It recommended
urgent consideration be given to "lessen the span of control
of some executive directors". It also recommended that LAS
"implement an experienced and effective level of management,
with delegated responsibility and authority for decision making,
to deal with day to day operational issues on a divisional basis
within London".
22. Any national or regional policy making
will have limited effect is securing improvements in the quality
of people's lives if it is not matched by local experienced and
effective operational leadership. The question remains, therefore,
how do we translate the apparent competing demands of regional
versus local into a coherent structure?
23. The North West of England is a huge
region. It has an area of 14,165 sq km and a population of 6.9
million. It has the major cities of Manchester and Liverpool,
an industrial history borne out of the industrial revolution and
great areas of natural beauty—Lake District and Peak District
National Parks.
24. The Fire Services deal with over 145,000
incidents per year. The sheer scale of the region means that the
leadership expectations of Government will simply not be met within
one monolithic structure.
25. When considering alterations for the
North West, it is relevant to note the changes in Wales and Scotland.
26. In both cases, a regional approach has
been developed to many strategic issues, but in both cases, a
more localised approach to the fire and rescue service has been
the preferred approach.
27. In Wales three Fire Authorities operate
as single entities but the discipline of a Welsh Assembly has
seen a momentum and willingness to create "all-Wales"
solutions. In Scotland a similar picture emerges with eight fire
services reporting to the Scottish Assembly. The relevance here
is that a different model to a single fire authority is not an
anti-regional option but, potentially, combines the best of a
regional solution whilst maintaining local accountability and
strong leadership.
THE LONDON
MODEL
28. Reference is often made to London as
providing a basis for a regional solution. In Fire and Rescue
Service terms, and perhaps in other cases as well, any comparison
is simply flawed. London is different! As far back as the Holroyd
Report in 1970[110]
London was regarded as unique and accepted as far larger than
the optimum size the Report proposed. Self-evidently, London should
be regarded separately from any debate for the rest of the regions.
CONCLUSION
29. This submission has briefly explored
the tension between local and regional delivery of services. Its
assertion that one size does not fit all is a reflection on the
nature of the regions. We support further modernisation of the
Fire and Rescue Service and see the establishment of Regional
Management Boards as a major step forward.
30. That is not to say such a change has
been without its difficulties and challenges, and we would recommend
this model be given an opportunity to demonstrate its increasing
capacity to deliver sustainable change for the communities of
the North West. Within the North West region, there is much local
and justifiable pride in existing services that the community
and their representatives would not want to see threatened by
larger, faceless organisations. Therefore, any such reorganisation
would need to be preceded by a robust business case that would
highlight not just efficiencies and economies but shows how communities
would be safer as a result of change.
104 The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework
2004/05, ODPM 2004. Back
105
Our Fire and Rescue Service, Government White Paper, June 2003,
The Stationery Office Ltd. Back
106
The Independent Review of the Fire Service, The Future of the
Fire Service: reducing risk saving lives (2002). Back
107
The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2004/05, ODPM 2004. Back
108
Fire Service Manual, Volume 2, Fire Service Operations, Incident
Command, The Stationery Office Ltd., 2002. Back
109
Diversity and Innovation, SOLACE 2004. Back
110
Report of the Departmental Committee on the Fire Service, Sir
Ronald Holroyd, HMSO 1970. Back
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