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 Councillor Norman Wright.

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.

There were no declarations of Members’ interests.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Estates and Property Committee meeting held on 28^th March 2019.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the Estates and Performance Committee held on 28^th March 2019  be confirmed as a correct record.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning introduced the report, which presented options to Members in relation to the enhancement of environmental performance for Chester Fire Station. The report asked Members to decide which option should be recommended to the Fire Authority.

Ian Gammack, from IKG Consulting talked to Members about two options that would deliver environmental improvements for the new fire station. He stated the options did not initially create a station where the building would be zero carbon. However, an enhanced option 2 could do so. This was only in relation to regulated energy, i.e. the heat, light, hot water and ventilation of the fire station, not any other energy requirements.

Members raised concerns about roof access. The consultant confirmed that the access to the roof was included in plans for option 2.

Members queried the impact on ventilation to the building due to the environmental improvements, in particular the impact of better insulation. It was confirmed that three rooms in the fire station had been identified as at risk of overheating. However, this risk was mitigated by improving the G Value of the glass and allowing the window to open sufficiently when the room temperature needed to be regulated.

The consultant also discussed how the environmental improvements made at Chester Fire Station were being considered for Crewe Fire Station.

RESOLVED: That

[1]       the enhanced Option 2, as noted within the report, be recommended to the Fire Authority.

NOTE: Members did not wish to go into private session to discuss the figures contained in Item 5. They took the additional information into account.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning introduced the report which provided information on the progress made with the Fire Station Modernisation Programme (the Programme) and sought agreement from Members to secure the release of further capital funding for the Programme.

The Group Manager for Blue Light Collaboration delivered a presentation on the works at Bollington and Tarporley Fire Stations completed during the Year Zero phase of the Programme. Members noted the improvements made to the fire stations and how their on-call availability had increased due to new facilities within the fire stations.

The Director of Governance and Commissioning highlighted the Station Modernisation Delivery Schedule, attached as Appendix 1 to the report. He explained that the actual spend during Year Zero and the expected spend during Year 1 were higher than anticipated and the projected overall costs of the Programme was likely to be higher than the approved £8.5M budget. He indicated that the rest of the £8.5M allocated budget needed to be made available in order for the Programme to progress as the initial £3.5M was now almost entirely committed.

Members queried whether an audit was considered to show what equipment and appliances would need replacing. The Director of Governance and Commissioning confirmed that provisions were in place at the start of the Programme to ensure the fire stations did not reach the same conditions as they were before works started.

Members noted that with government requirements such as the use of electric vehicles, further funding would be required to ensure infrastructure was available at fire stations. The consultant confirmed that it would be difficult to accommodate these requirements without capital funding from the government.

RESOLVED: That

[1]       the Fire Station Modernisation Programme – Progress Report and Funding be noted; and

[2]       officers secure the release of further capital funding for the Station Modernisation Programme.

This report includes information about the costs of the specific environmental proposals.  The figures are not finalised and at this point are comercially sensitive.  It complements the report at Item 2.