Agenda and minutes

Members are reminded that this meeting will be audio-recorded.

Members were reminded that the meeting would be audio-recorded.

The Chair also pointed out that the press were in attendance at the meeting and he understood that they intended to film during the meeting.

He stated that the Authority had a protocol in respect of filming, photography and audio-recording by third parties and explained that whilst it was obviously reasonable for members of the Fire Authority and officers to be filmed, other attendees may object to being filmed. This applied, in particular, to others participating in the meeting as there were some people asking questions and they were asked if they had any objections to being filmed.  There were no objections raised.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A Dirir and E Johnson and the Police and Crime Commissioner D Keane.

To receive any announcements that the Chair wishes to make prior to the commencement of the formal business of the meeting.

The Chair asked Members to note the content of the Chair’s announcements, which included details of the Authority’s achievements and events that Members had attended since the last Fire Authority meeting in December 2017.

Members are reminded that the Members’ Code of Conduct requires the disclosure of Statutory Disclosable Pecuniary Interests, Non-Statutory Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Disclosable Non-Pecuniary Interests.

Dispensations have been granted to Members in relation to the setting of the Council Tax precept and the approval of the Members’ Allowances Scheme. 

Members are asked to indicate that they intend to rely upon the dispensation(s) because of the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest(s) that they have in relation to the following items:

Item 4 – Draft Budget, Council Tax Precept and Medium Term Financial Plan 2017-18; and

Item 5 – Members’ Allowances Scheme 2018-19

The Director of Governance and Commissioning reminded Members that  dispensations had been granted to all Members in relation to the setting of the Council Tax precept and the approval of the Members’ Allowances Scheme.  He also explained that Members intending to rely upon the dispensation would still need to declare their interests in the relevant items at this point of the meeting.

Members indicated that they had Disclosable Pecuniary Interests in relation to the following items (but intended to rely upon the dispensation in order to take part in the debate and vote):

Item 4 – Draft Budget, Council Tax Precept and Medium Term Financial Plan 2018-19

All Members present (with the exception of Councillor Bailey).

Item 5 – Members’ Allowances Scheme 2018-19

All Members present.

Councillor T Sherlock declared a non-pecuniary interest as he was a director of ENTEP a non-profit making organisation set up for training and employment purposes.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Fire Authority Meeting held on 6^th December 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Fire Authority meeting held on 6^th December 2017 be approved as a correct record.

To receive any questions submitted, in accordance with procedure rules 4.47 to 4.54, by members of the public within the area covered by the Fire Authority.

Questions submitted by members of the public from within the area covered by the Fire Authority were dealt with at this point in accordance with procedural rules 4.47 to 4.54.  The questions and responses are annexed to these minutes.  Supplementary questions were also posed and the Chair committed to providing a written response.  The supplementary questions and responses are also annexed to the minutes.

Laura Smith MP for Crewe and Nantwich Constituency was in attendance at the meeting and made a statement as follows:

‘I urge Cheshire Fire Authority to keep the number of wholetime firefighters employed at Crewe Fire Station and to keep the second fire engine staffed on a 24/7 basis.’

She informed the Fire Authority that the online petition in support of the statement had over 4,100 signatures and there were also thousands of signatures on the hard copy of the petition that had been collected by Crewe and Nantwich Labour Party members. She asked that the Fire Authority took account of the petition and the strength of feeling that had been portrayed when making a decision in respect of the second fire engine at Crewe Fire Station.

The Chair thanked the MP for her statement and added that the Authority had received notification that there were 4,146 online and over 1,200 hard copy signatures on the petition.  He added that Members should take the petition into account when making the decision on Item 7.

To receive, for information, the minutes of the Estates and Property Committee meeting held on 6^th December 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Estates and Property Committee meeting held on 6^th December 2017 be received, for information.

To receive, for information, the minutes of the Brigade Managers’ Pay and Performance Committee meeting held on 10^th January 2018.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Brigade Managers’ Pay and Performance Committee meeting held on 10^th January 2018 be received, for information.

To receive, for information, the minutes of the Governance and Constitution Committee meeting held on 31^st January 2018.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Governance and Constitution Committee meeting held on 31^st January 2018 be received, for information.

To receive, for information, the notes of the Member Training and Development Group meeting held on 19^th December 2017.

RESOLVED:

That the notes of the Member Training and Development Group meeting held on 19^th December 2017 be received, for information.

The Policy and Transformation Officer presented this report which provided an update on the consultation on the potential increase in precept of 2.99% for 2018-19. He explained that, on 19^th December 2017, the Government announced that the threshold set regarding increases in council tax above which a precepting authority would be required to hold a public referendum had been raised from 2% to 3%. 

As this announcement was made at a very late stage in the Authority’s regular consultation process, and the proposed increase for 2018-19 was explicitly stated as 1.99% in the draft IRMP, the Authority deemed it prudent to consult further on a specific proposal to increase the precept by 2.99%. 

The Policy and Transformation Officer provided Members with the final figures: 64% of the public supported the proposal with 34% against; and 60% of staff in support of the proposal with 30% against. He also explained that copies of the full consultation report had been provided for Members and made available on the website once the consultation was concluded on Monday 12^th February 2018.

A Member stated that he supported the 2.99% increase and that the outcomes of the consultation showed that there was public support for the increase.  He recognised that the increase would be county-wide but highlighted the fact that in South East Cheshire residents were being asked to pay more in Council Tax for a downgraded service.  He also sought clarification that decisions on this Item and Item 4 would not hinder deliberation of and decisions in relation to Item 7.  Others confirmed that Members would not be impacting upon the ability to make decisions on Item 7 by concluding this Item and Item 4.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the report be noted.

The report of the Joint Head of Finance sought Members approval for the Fire Authority’s Treasury Management Strategy and Practices for the year 2018-19. This was a requirement of guidance issued by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the 2009 CIPFA Treasury Management Code and the CIPFA Prudential Code. It also assisted the Authority in demonstrating its compliance with requirements contained in the Local Government Act 2003.

The Treasury Management Strategy comprised of three main elements: Borrowing Strategy; Annual Investment Strategy; and Minimum Revenue Provision Strategy.  It was proposed that the Authority continued to set the Minimum Revenue Provision at 6.7% of the opening Capital Financing Requirement, as it was considered to be a prudent and sustainable approach. The Authority’s approach to treasury risk management and its treasury management practices, which had been published on the Authority’s website with the agenda, were also detailed in the report.

The Joint Head of Finance drew Members attention to the changes to the Borrowing Strategy to reflect the fact that the Authority had approved the use of borrowing to fund its training centre project (and associated works) in order to preserve reserves for other matters requiring capital expenditure.

A Member made reference to the 2016 budget meeting and queried what the approx £15m of capital investment spend with revenue funding of £12.144m in the 2016/17 budget consisted of and also sought clarification on the difference between reserves and revenue contributions.

The Joint Head of Finance explained that a reserve was funding set aside for a specific purpose and revenue contributions either came from reserves or external sources.  She committed to review the 2016/17 budget and provide further detail.

A Member asked why the particular borrowing method with the Public Work Loans Board (PWLB) would continue to be the preferred source of borrowing rather than an annuity loan.  The Head of Finance explained that the PWLB (equal payments) provided certainty to plan as the annuity method was linked into interest rates.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Authority’s Treasury Management Strategy for the year 2018-2019 be approved;

[2]      the Authority’s approach to treasury risk management and its Treasury Management Practices be approved; and

[3]      the Authority’s prudential indicators included the Authorised Limit and Operational Boundary be approved.

Cheshire Fire Authority was required to approve its budget and set the Council Tax precept for the financial year commencing 1^st April 2018.  In determining a budget that it considered reasonable, the Authority was required to have regard to all relevant factors, including the likely impact of policy options on the achievement of the Authority’s objectives and uncertainties associated with the economic scenario.

The Treasurer presented the report which sought Members’ approval for the Authority’s budget for 2018-19, the Authority’s precept, as required by law, for 2018-19 and its Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for 2018 to 2021.  This was the second budget report, with the first being presented at the Fire Authority meeting on 6^th December 2017.  Members had also considered the Authority’s financial information at their Planning Days, most recently in January where Members had the opportunity to challenge the assumptions and proposals being put forward by officers as part of the draft budget and MTFP.   

The report asked Members to consider three budget proposals, based on:

a)    Increasing the Council Tax precept by 2.99% (£75.48 for a Band D property);

b)    Increasing the Council Tax precept by 1.99% (£74.75 for a Band D property); or

c)     Maintaining the Council Tax precept at its 2017-18 level (£73.29 for a Band D property).

The three budget proposals were detailed in Table 1 of the report.  Appendix 1  of the report presented the MTFP modelled on the effect of existing assumptions and showed how the Authority would produce a balanced budget in 2018-19 based on the three budget proposals.  In each case there was still a requirement to make savings for 2018/19.  The medium term position, looking forward up to 2021, showed that the Authority would still be required to make savings despite further increases in Council Tax in future financial years. The MTFP was based on a number of assumptions including savings relating to proposed changes at Crewe and Ellesmere Port in the base budget. These savings would have to be funded from other compensating savings identified or future contributions from reserves if they were not delivered as planned. The current reserves strategy took account of the fact that reserves could be used to fund the second fire engines at Crewe and Ellesmere Port.

The Treasurer informed Members that the Government consultation on the Fire and Rescue National Framework made reference to reserves and the need for Fire Authorities to have a policy on reserves. It also stated the level of General Reserve would need to be justified if it was over 5% of the revenue budget. This figure was broadly accepted by Local Government Finance officers as being an appropriate level. He proposed that the general reserve be set at 5% as a minimum level and maintained at that level for the medium term. The current reserves strategy, including the forecast level of reserves, was attached as an appendix to the report and assumed that reserves would be used to support the capital programme and also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning introduced this report which provided details of the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2018-19 and Members were asked to determine the level of Members’ allowances for the coming year.

Councillor Merry stated that, in these times of austerity, she could not support the increase in the Members’ Allowances for 2018-19 as proposed in recommendation 2 of the report.  Members voted on the recommendation, the vote was lost (9 for and 10 against) and the proposed increase in allowances for 2018/19 was not approved.

RESOLVED: That

[1]    the Members’ Allowance Scheme for 2018-19 (contained in appendix 1) be approved.

Note: The Scheme would reflect the fact that no annual increase would be applied for 2018-19.

The Policy and Transformation Officer presented the report which sought Members’ approval to publish the Authority’s annual action plan for 2018-19 (IRMP 15), following the conclusion of a formal 13 week consultation programme.

He provided Members with an overview of the consultation programme and a summary of the key issues highlighted in the full consultation report.  A total of 832 members of the public completed the formal consultation survey, compared to 632 in the previous year.  This response level provides a margin of error of plus or minus 3.44% at a 95% level of confidence.

The final draft of IRMP 15 had been distributed with the agenda having been updated to reflect issues raised during the consultation and considered by Members at the Planning Day on 12^th January.  

Members discussed the IRMP proposals and welcomed the report which demonstrated the support the public had for the Service.  A Member wished to thank the FBU for their responses to the IRMP consultation and noted that it had been agreed that the recommendations contained within the FBU response would be considered further through the relevant Fire Authority committees. 

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the publication of the annual action plan for 2018-19 (IRMP 15) by 31^st March 2018 be approved; and

[2]      the Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive be authorised to make any final drafting changes to the annual action plan (IRMP 15), including the addition of final performance and financial information.

Before discussion of the report commenced, the Chair proposed a motion in respect of the duty system for the second fire appliance at Crewe Fire Station. The motion was seconded by Councillor Nelson and was as follows:

‘The introduction of the Nucleus Duty system for the second fire engine at Crewe’.

The Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive then presented the report which provided detailed information on the findings of the review into the Authority’s plans to change the duty system from wholetime to on-call for the second fire engines at Crewe and Ellesmere Port Fire Stations; and to agree a timescale for any changes to be implemented.  Michael Wright, Greenstreet Berman was in attendance at the meeting and summarised the outcomes of the independent assessment. 

Councillor Merry stated that she could not support the motion proposed and proposed an amendment to the motion presented at the meeting as follows:

‘Members consider the findings of the review and determine that the future duty system for the second fire engine at Crewe Fire Station should be wholetime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.’ The amendment was seconded by Councillor Marren.

Note: as this had the effect of negating the original motion it was subsequently treated as an alternative motion.

Members held detailed discussions and a lengthy debate on the content of the report and a number of comments were made.  A number of questions were raised including:

A Member raised concerns over the on-call availability figures provided and the proposal to use the same model to improve availability that was used at Wilmslow.  He asked officers about the projected figure of 85% availability and the appliance average attendance time of 4 minutes 27 seconds for the second fire engine at Crewe.

The Head of Service Delivery informed Members that the Service had committed to meeting the 85% availability target for the on-call appliance at Wilmslow and it was proposed that the same commitment would be given at Crewe. He referred to the details in the report which demonstrated that the availability figures for Crewe were based on using the same model as that at Wilmslow which would ensure that the target would be achieved.  He added that the availability figure for Ellesmere Port was modelled on the actual availability at other similar on-call stations.  He also explained that response times for the second fire engine, as shown in the report, were based on the premise that, if the second fire engine at Crewe changed to on-call it would be mobilised from Crewe Fire Station.  Currently the response times for the second fire engine at Crewe were an average of 7 mins 38 seconds due to the fact that the second fire engine was often from one of the surrounding fire stations (rather than Crewe Fire Station).

A Member was concerned about COMAH sites and what would happen if there was a major incident: What level of support would be required from CFRS and neighbouring fire services?

The Chief  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Policy and Transformation Officer presented this report to Members and explained that the report provided an outline of the Government’s consultation on a revised Fire and Rescue National Framework for England.  Members were asked to consider the proposed response (attached as Appendix 1 to the report) for submission.

Members discussed the proposed response and were satisfied that it should be submitted to the Government subject to the addition of text to highlight the benefits of the combined authority governance model.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the consultation response detailed in appendix 1 (subject to the addition of a reference to the combined authority model) be approved for submission to the Home Office.

The Director of Transformation presented this report to Members which sought approval to publish the Pay Policy Statement for 2018-19 as detailed in appendix 1 to the report.  She explained that the publication of the statement was an annual requirement and that the statement must be published by 31^st March immediately preceding the financial year to which it relates.

The Director of Transformation drew Members attention to paragraph 16 of the report and highlighted that there was an outstanding issue in relation to the introduction of the Public Sector Exit Regulations that may necessitate changes to the Pay Policy Statement during the course of the financial year 2018-19. 

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Pay Policy Statement attached as Appendix 1 be approved; and

[2]      the Director of Transformation in conjunction with the Director of Governance and Commissioning be authorised to make any in-year changes to the Pay Policy Statement necessitated by new legislation or guidance.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning introduced this report which provided details of the capital funding required to build a replacement fire station on part of the existing site at St Anne Street, Chester.  He added that the Fire Authority had previously confirmed its intention to replace the existing fire station in Chester at the current site at St Anne Street in December 2017.  Members had also agreed to market part of the existing site that will be surplus to requirements.

He provided an update on a number of outstanding issues that had now been clarified and the Authority’s external advisers had confirmed that the anticipated budget for the replacement fire station was very similar to the figure previously reported.  The funding allocation required was £5.51m plus a 5% contingency of £275,500.  Members were asked to note that there were also some potential costs that were not factored in to the budget which included any costs associated with moving and accommodating staff elsewhere and any possible delays and costs associated with any archaeological activities that may arise.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      a capital allocation in the sum of £5.51m plus a 5% contingency of £275,500 to allow the delivery of a replacement fire station at St Anne Street, Chester be approved.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning presented this report which provided details of the proposal to sell the building that previously housed a Fire Service Museum at Tarporley.  He explained that the museum was no longer open to the public and the volunteer curator confirmed that he did not wish to continue to operate the fire museum.

A Member queried what was happening to the surplus fire service equipment and memorabilia.  The Director of Governance and Commissioning confirmed that the building had been emptied in recent months and that the contents did not belong to the Service.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      Officers be authorised to arrange for the sale of the building formerly operated as a fire service museum in Park Road, Tarporley.