Memorandum by the East Midlands Regional
Management Board (FRS 25)
INTRODUCTION
The East Midlands Regional Management Board
welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this inquiry and would
be willing to provide oral evidence if required in support of
this submission. We would also wish to recognise the opportunity
that has been presented to us as Elected Members by the Government's
modernisation agenda. The changes introduced by the White Paper,
Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Integrated Risk Planning
process, provide flexibility to authorities to deliver against
local priorities.
In the East Midlands we have established an
effective Regional Management Board, within which there is cross
party support for the delivery of a first class fire and rescue
service. The Board is responding well to the challenges presented
to it by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
The Board acknowledges the resources put into
the ODPM to support fire and rescue service strategy and policy
development, but is concerned that if those resources are moved
onto other areas of Government policy development, there will
be a void that might lead to a loss of focus on the service in
the future. That focus if particularly important in relation to
the links to other ODPM and Government Departments with whom the
service needs to work.
We would offer the following comments in response
to the topics being examined by the Committee.
REGIONAL CONTROL
CENTRES
The Board recognises the resilience issues associated
with the mobilising and command arrangements for the fire and
rescue service. It also recognises the need to ensure an appropriate
infrastructure to protect national security arrangements. We welcome
the Government's investment in the regional control centre, Firelink
radio and other national projects. Concerns however remain.
The RCC project has already been subject to
slippage and a lack of timely information from the centre. That
in turn has lead to the Board being less than able to provide
clear direction locally to personnel serving in authorities and
the public.
The governance arrangements proposed for the
management of the RCCs must reflect the local authority governance
and accountability arrangements. Local authorities have the legal
duty to provide effective arrangements for the delivery of the
service. The public draws comfort from the fact that those services
are locally and democratically controlled.
There are serious concerns relating to the costs
that will ultimately fall on individual authorities as a result
of the introduction of the RCCs and Firelink. The running costs
for all existing Control Centres are contained and managed within
revenue budgets. Future costs falling on the Board and in turn
the constituent authorities as result of this project are unknown.
There is a real fear that the costs imposed locally by the introduction
of the RCC will impact on other areas of service delivery.
There is also an issue relating to the ongoing
revenue implications of other "national" projects in
due course such as Firelink and the eFire project. Firelink and
the RCC project have created real additional costs locally for
authorities that are being met from existing budgets and not matched
by new burdens funding from Government.
There needs to be a transparency and openness
during the implementation of all of the above projects with accurate
projections of the financial burden that will fall on local authorities.
FIRECONTROL
AND FIRELINK
The East Midlands Regional Management Board
is very concerned that there is as yet an apparent lack of co-ordination
between the FiReControl and Firelink projects which are interdependent
to the successful implementation of the Regional Control Centre
for the East Midlands. The knowledge, skills and level of management
required to support both projects at regional level will necessitate
mainly the same individuals being assigned to both. It is imperative
that, even at this late stage, the management of both projects
is overseen more effectively by one coordinating body within the
ODPM. This will avoid duplication of effort by these individuals,
give a more positive focus on the interdependency needs and enable
us to contribute to the successful commissioning of a fully supported
Regional Control Centre for the East Midlands.
FIRE SAFETY
REGULATION
With the approach of the Regulatory Reform Order,
the ODPM needs to consider its impact on both fire and rescue
authorities and the business community. The continued migration
from a prescriptive to a risk-based approach for fire safety will
require authorities to ensure an appropriately trained workforce.
There has never been recognition by any Government of the need
to provide additional financial support to local authorities following
the implementation of major legislative reform.
The introduction of the RRO will also require
those responsible for buildings to be aware of and compliant with
the expectations placed on them by the new legislation. The introduction
of the Workplace Regulations showed that those who are responsible
are not aware of their duties. There is a real need for the Government
to promote the new Order and publicise the changes to the business
community.
GOVERNANCE
There are obvious constitutional differences
operating across the country. The devolved administrations in
Scotland and Wales add to the issue and variation in approach
to strategy, and potentially service delivery. In some circumstances,
constitutional differences lead to legislative differences, particularly
for the Combined Fire Authorities.
The Board believes that there is no case for
the further regionalisation of the fire and rescue service. East
Midlands RMB's view is that the existing regional structure is
the vehicle to prove effective collaboration. The co-ordination
between the centre (ODPM) and the RMBs needs to be improved (see
also comments on the Framework document). The RCC project is a
good example of the need to manage that relationship as it has
created tension between the two bodies.
NATIONAL FRAMEWORK
DOCUMENT AND
INTEGRATED RISK
MANAGEMENT PLANS
The ODPM has tabled expectations for Regional
Management Boards and Local Authorities within the National Framework
documents. ODPM has assured stakeholders that the draft Framework
Document would be published in September each year to enable Local
Authorities to consider the implications in their own IRMP consultation
documents. For many Authorities this year's IRMP consultation
period will have now closed or will be closing shortly, with budgets
being prepared in line with strategic objectives. The latest Framework
document was published as a draft in November 2005, with a closing
date for consultation of 18 February 2006. Authorities will be
agreeing budgets in February. There must be a better way of connecting
the ODPM planning process with that of local authorities.
REFORM OF
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
Much of that which has been achieved since the
publication of the White Paper has been driven by fire and rescue
authorities in spite of the current industrial relations situation.
The Fire Brigades Union, having signed up to the 2003 Pay Agreement
and with it the reform agenda, are steadfastly refusing to accept
the changes to the service that have resulted or are proposed.
The situation regarding the recognition of the
Retained Firefighters Union and the Fire Officers Association
is recognised as being an urgent issue for the National Employers
and work is in progress to address it. More needs to be done to
address that issue.
Given the success of the FBU when it comes to
raising public alarm as a result of proposed changes locally,
the ODPM should be called on to do more to promote its expectations
to the public, in order to avoid the public being brought into
conflict with local authorities on reform issues.
REDUCING FIRE
AND THE
IMPACT OF
FIRE
Whilst there is some success to be applauded,
there is still a lot more to be done. There is still a real need
to invest in research relating to effective fire safety intervention.
There is more that can and needs to be done to express the need
for joint working with other agencies to further reduce the impact
of fire on the community. More needs to be done to raise the spectre
of fire as a crime, particularly against business, which in turn
impacts on economic sustainability and employment.
The Government must seriously consider its position
with regard to legislating the requirement for sprinklers to be
installed in schools and other key buildings. The life safety
and economic case for their introduction is overwhelming. There
is also the need for the Government to consider the role of life
safety sprinklers in high risk domestic occupancies.
DIVERSITY
There is a clear need to express concern about
the lack of progress on this issue. Whilst there isn't a problem
with numbers applying for jobs in the service, there is a problem
attracting the diverse workforce we need. The Board would ask
that the Government re-assess its position regarding targets for
the service. Whilst the Board would not wish to see any reduction
in emphasis on this important issue, there is clearly a need to
ensure that the targets are achievable.
We would also ask that the Government work alongside
the fire and rescue authorities in order to promote the service
to women and under-represented groups, considering national campaigns
as appropriate. The expectation by the ODPM is that recruitment
will be dealt with at a regional level to create efficiencies,
there is a danger that the process will add to the problem of
under-representation. The system will potentially produce trainees
cost-effectively, but it will not be able to deal with a targeted
approach to recruitment, leaving that responsibility in the hands
of the local fire and rescue authority. Centralising the function
will not deal with geographical or ethnic diversity.
FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
There must be an open and transparent relationship
between the process for delivering efficiencies, investment in
the resilience programme (ongoing revenue implications) and grant
settlements for fire and rescue authorities. That concern extends
to the issue of the firefighters pension scheme. Whilst the Board
welcomes the fact that the Government has decided to remove the
future uncertainty relating to revenue provision from fire and
rescue authorities, there is concern that future grant settlements
will be reduced in order to enable Government to meet its own
obligations.
There is a need for the ODPM to recognise the
need for up front investment to be provided to fire and rescue
authorities, ahead of delivering savings in the future. The management
of transitional funding has not been a good example of ODPM/Local
Authority working. For some authorities the transitional funding
has been a nuisance not a benefit.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the East Midlands Regional Management
Board is of the opinion that the flexibilities provided by recent
changes in legislation and strategy by the Government will ultimately
provide a better service to the public we serve. We offer the
comments in this report in the hope that where there is opportunity
to create more effective governance and delivery arrangements,
these will be noted. The Board is conscious of the economic drivers
which force all Elected Members to consider strategic priorities
against the potential to increase the burden on council tax payers,
and is doing all it can to strike the right balance.
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