Agenda and minutes

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

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

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mo Hussain and Nick
Mannion.

Members are reminded to disclose any interests that are relevant to any item on the Agenda.

There were no declarations of Members’ interests.

To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting of the Performance and Overview Committee held on Wednesday, 20^th November 2024.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Performance and Overview Committee held on Wednesday 20th November 2024 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Treasurer introduced the report, which provided Members with a review of the Service’s forecast financial outturn 2024-25 and reported on progress against capital projects.

He referred Members to the anticipated underspend of £1,085k for the full
year. This had increased from the £892k underspend reported for Quarter 2. The underspend had accrued from Service Delivery/Operational Policy and Assurance (OPA), and Capital Financing.

The Treasurer advised Members that the saving in Service Delivery/OPA was predominantly due to savings from On-Call and overtime budgets. He advised Members that the new crewing duty system outlined in the CRMP would redress the under-establishment and that the position would continue to be monitored and reported to Members.

The underspend arising from Capital Finance had accrued due to higher interest rates received on bank deposits and saving on interest payments due to deferring taking out new loans. This underspend was to be transferred to reserves to help fund future capital expenditure.

A Member questioned if the tariffs that the USA were implementing on countries would impact the Service. The Treasurer advised Members that although there were no purchases of large appliances planned for the coming year, the costs for the modernisation programme could be affected.

A Member requested more information on the McCloud and Matthews pension remedy costs. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer advised Members that except for a couple of extremely complex cases all the ex-employee accounts had now been settled. He informed Members that the Service was now working with existing employees to make sure their retirement figures were correct. A Member thanked everyone who had worked hard on resolving this issue.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Finance Report Quarter 3, 2024-25 and forecast outturn position be noted.

The Group Manager for Organisational Performance introduced the report, which provided an update on the Service’s Quarter 3, 2024-25 performance for each of the Service’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

The Group Manager highlighted strong overall performance in most areas, with a focus on key exceptions:

-       the Injuries in Primary Fires figure was over target at 29, against a target of 21. He advised members that 25 of the 29 were classed as slight injuries (either requiring first aid at the scene or a hospital check where the casualty was released). Only 4 of the injuries were classed as serious, requiring 1 or more night’s stay in hospital. A key factor relating to the 4 serious injury cases was that the casualties lived alone; this corroborated the methodology used to target Safe and Well visits;

-         the number of Deliberate Primary Fires was slightly over target with 152 against a target of 150. 28 of these were within HMP Styal Prison where one individual was proving problematic. The Fire Investigation team were working closely with the Fire Reduction lead at the prison to refer the individual to the independent adjudicator, recommending that additional sentencing be considered;

-         the number of Deliberate Secondary Fires recorded at the end of Quarter 3 was 452, against a target of 559. The highest number of incidents had been recorded in Winsford (94), Warrington (54), and Runcorn (50). These three station areas account for 40% of all incidents;

-         the number of Safe and Well Visits completed were 1,183 visits ahead of target by the end of Quarter 3. Prevention staff completed 7892 of these visits, and operational firefighters completed 13,916; and

-         the Number of Automatic Fire Alarms (AFAs) in Non-Domestic Premises was 95 above the target. The Protection team were working with the main perpetrators, hospitals and care homes, to reduce this number.

A Member questioned whether the Automatic Fire Alarms were attended by a fire engine or a rapid response vehicle. The Group Manager advised that they were always attended by a fire engine as the rapid response vehicles were not designed for this purpose and it had to be a fully equipped fire engine that responds.

A Member asked why the On-call figures for some of the stations were significantly below target. The Group Manager clarified that 4 of the 5 lowest percentages were stations that were transitioning from on-call to wholetime weekday appliances as outlined in the Community Risk Management Plan. He explained that the crews were undertaking further firefighter and driver training as part of the process.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Performance Report Quarter 3, 2024-25 be noted.

The Corporate Programme Manager provided Members with an update on the Service’s programmes and projects aligned to delivering the Community Risk Management Plan 2024-2028.

He drew Members attention to the Emergency Response Proposals project that was ending. The on-call fire engines at Macclesfield, Northwich, Runcorn and Winsford had now converted to the new wholetime weekday crewing system. Progress on the Specials Review was ongoing with the relocation of specialist vehicles. The All-Terrain Vehicle had now been relocated from Poynton to Macclesfield and the crew had been trained in its usage.

The Corporate Programme Manager advised that the Fire Station Modernisation Programme was red due to budget constraints. The Service was reviewing the costs for the outstanding stations with the contractors, which had delayed the start date for Frodsham fire station.

He outlined that the Fire Service Housing project was amber due to a significant amount of work required to bring the housing stock up to the desired standard. A new programme of work was being agreed and would commence in the new financial year. 

The Corporate Programme Manager advised that the amber status for the Sale of the Fire Houses in Stockton Heath, was due to interest in the properties being lower than anticipated. The estate agent was revising the selling strategy to stimulate interest among multiple buyers.

A Member commented on the closure of the project to Raise Awareness of Water Safety, emphasising its significance and questioned if this work would be continued. The Head of Prevention & Protection informed Members that while the initial project's scope was fulfilled, ongoing water safety work remained a core part of the Prevention department's ongoing plan.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Programme Report Quarter 3, 2024-25 be noted.

The Head of Prevention and Protection introduced the report, which summarised the preventative and operational activities of the Service and partners during the bonfire period 24th October 2024 to 7th November 2024.

He advised that the Service attended 48 Small Deliberate Fires during the 2024 bonfire period, in comparison to 30 Small Deliberate Fires in 2023. There had been an increase in the number of incidents attended in 2024 compared to 2023, however, over a 5-year period this had reduced by 27%.

The Head of Prevention and Protection noted that following a review of the 2023 bonfire period the decision was made to not have additional appliances available, with incidents managed with standard appliance cover during the 2024 period. He reassured Members that during the key evenings of the 30th, 31st October and the 4th and 5th November when the additional appliances would have been available there were no occasions where the service failed to meet its response standards.

The Head of Prevention and Protection reported that, compared to 2023, Small Deliberate Fires decreased in Cheshire East and Halton but increased in Cheshire West and Warrington during the 2024 bonfire period. He noted that Winsford accounted for 50% of all recorded Small Deliberate Fire incidents during this time.

The Head of Prevention and Protection was pleased to report to Members that there were no reported attacks on crews or appliances in Cheshire during the 2024 bonfire period. 

A Member questioned what further measures could be taken in Winsford to reduce the number of incidents. The Head of Prevention and Protection assured Members that preventative work continued throughout the year to reduce deliberate fire setting, this included working with partners in the area to prevent anti-social behaviour, completing high school visits, delivering prevention messages, and advising residents on the safe storage of refuse containers.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Bonfire Annual Report 2024 and recommendations be noted.

The Environment and Sustainability Lead for Joint Corporate Services introduced the report, which provided an update on the progress that was being made by the Service concerning the environment and climate change agenda.

He directed Members to the Carbon Emissions Report for April 2023 - March 2024. The report showed a small improvement on the previous year, with an overall reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions of 60% from a 2017 baseline.

The Environment and Sustainability Lead informed Members that the Fire Station Modernisation Programme had helped reduce carbon emissions by enhancing building energy efficiency, installing solar panels and battery storage for electricity generation, and, where possible, replacing fossil fuel heating systems with clean electricity-powered technologies

He advised that by once the modernisation of Winsford Fire Station was complete every location on the Estate would have electric vehicle charging and by replacing the diesel and petrol fleet vehicles with electric and hybrid alternatives this had further reduced the carbon emissions.

The Environment and Sustainability Lead informed Members that over a four-year period, the Service had actively reviewed and monitored water consumption across its property portfolio. This process had established an accurate 2024 baseline for water usage, allowing for the identification and resolution of issues, resulting in significant cost savings on water bills. Similar reviews had been conducted for electricity and gas consumption, uncovering miscalculations, enabling corrective actions, and reducing bills.

The Environment and Sustainability Lead concluded that the next 5-years strategy of the Service’s journey to net zero, was to be presented to the Environment and Sustainability Working Group in early April 2025 and would be reported to members in due course.

A Member queried whether Members could attend the Carbon Literacy training. The Environment and Sustainability Lead advised that yes it was possible, and that future course dates would be shared with members.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Environment and Climate Change Annual Report 2024-25 be   noted.

The Group Manager for Organisational Performance introduced the report which provided Members with an update on the Service's current compliance with the published Fire Standards.

He explained that there were 19 Standards in total, with three under review; therefore the report focused on the remaining 16 active standards. The three standards currently under review were: Digital and Cyber, Procurement and Commercial, and Internal Governance and Assurance. The outcomes of these reviews would be included in the next compliance update report.

He advised Members that over the last 12-months good progress had been made against the following standards: Emergency Response Driving; Communications and Engagement; and Operational Preparedness. He noted in the report where the compliance percentages had reduced this was due to extra criteria or tasks being added to the Standard.

A Member asked how Cheshire's performance compared to other fire services. The Group Manager responded that some fire services had not adopted the Fire Standards. Cheshire appeared to be in a strong position relative to those Services that he was aware of.

RESOLVED: That:

[1]      the National Fire Chiefs Council Fire Standards report be noted.

The Head of Operational Policy and Assurance provided Members with an update on the Action Plan that had been prepared in relation to the recommendations contained in the final report from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry (referred to as the Phase 2 Report).

He outlined to Members that both the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 and 2 Reports contain recommendations that reference London Fire Brigade specifically when addressing shortfalls in their response to the incident. However, fire and rescue services nationally were treating these recommendations as if directed towards the entire fire sector. Therefore, the Service had captured these recommendations within a gap analysis and was using them to evaluate its current compliance and identify any areas for improvement in the Action Plan. 

The Head of Operational Policy and Assurance outlined the 9 key themes and assured Members that the High Rise Working Group was meeting monthly to review progress on the recommendations. He noted that a temporary Station Manager role had been created within Operational Policy and Assurance to undertake this work and oversee workstreams associated with the Manchester Arena Inquiry.

A Member questioned if the 25 actions defined in the report were achievable by the Service. The Head of Operational Policy and Assurance advised Members that most were achievable, however, some of the actions would require a decision to be taken nationally. He described the actions relating to the Control Room for example, this required consistency across the country when control rooms were providing overflow capacity for taking calls for a major incident. North West Fire Control (NWFC) use a tool called the Fire Survival Guidance, which allows NWFC to communicate critical information electronically to the incident ground. Not all control centres were able to utilise this tool.

RESOLVED: That:

[1]      the National Fire Chiefs Council Fire Standards report be noted.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer will provide a verbal update to Members. This will include a brief summary of previous activity, as well as an outline of the work that is ongoing to create a ‘wellbeing’ pillar within the People Strategy (which is being consulted up with a view to approval and publication in the next few months). The Assistant Chief will also describe the mechanism for implementing the People Strategy and the monitoring of progress.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer provided a verbal update to Members. In his tenure the Mental Health Advisor sought parity between mental and physical health within the Service, working within 4 key areas: leadership and responsibility; communication and education; support and intervention; and culture and compassion.

The Assistant Chief Fire Officer reported that the mental health strategy was fully implemented in 2023, as detailed in the last annual report to the Performance and Overview Committee.

In 2024, the role of Mental Health Advisor was reevaluated to better integrate mental and physical health, resulting in the creation of the Staywell Adviser position. The Staywell Adviser was currently reviewing the Service's Trauma Risk Management process, which provides support to staff who may have been affected by attending a traumatic incident, and enhancing staff support and wellbeing.

He advised that quarterly updates on wellbeing initiatives would be provided to the People Board, and annual reports would now be directed to the Staffing Committee.

RESOLVED: That:

[1]      the verbal update on Mental Health and Wellbeing be noted.

The table includes those items that have been identified/agreed to-date.  Members are asked to agree any additional items at the end of the meeting which need to be added to the programme.

The Director of Governance proposed the removal of the Mental Health Annual Report from the Forward Work Plan in November 2025 and the inclusion of an Update on the Grenfell Recommendations in March 2026.

RESOLVED: That

[1]      the Forward Work Programme be updated and noted.