Agenda item

Report of the Director of Corporate Services (DSFRA/17/31) attached.

(An item taken in accordance with Section 100A(4) during which the press and public – with the exception of Sue Mountstevens [Police & Crime Commissioner, Avon & Somerset], Andy Marsh [Chief Constable, Avon & Somerset Constabulary] and Sean Price [Head of Performance, Avon & Somerset Constabulary] – were excluded from the meeting).

The Authority considered a report of the Director of Corporate Services (DSFRA/17/31) – together with a presentation from Andy Marsh and Sean Price – on the bid submitted by the Avon & Somerset Constabulary to secure Home Office funding of £3.15m from the Police Transformation Fund to establish a Multi-Agency Integrated Analytics Hub.  The hub would work across service, agency and geographic boundaries to gather data and provide a full picture of threat, harm and risk within communities served to facilitate the effective and efficient targeting of resources, protecting vulnerable people and reducing demand and thereby cost. 

Given the role and profile of Chief Fire Officer Lee Howell in promoting multi-agency work in the region (notably via the South West Emergency Services Forum), the Avon & Somerset Constabulary had approached the Authority to suggest his secondment to serve as Senior Responsible Officer for the project which was anticipated to run in total until the end of March 2019.

The initiative centred on the use of predictive analytics and visioning as outlined in the report and presented at the meeting by Sean Price.  The report identified the benefits to the Authority and Service from participating in the initiative and also addressed the implications of the secondment of the Chief Fire Officer, including the cost impact and temporary backfill arrangements required for the duration of the secondment.

Revised recommendations to the report were circulated at the meeting which, following further clarification by the Clerk to the Authority, were MOVED by Councillor Healey, with Councillor Bown seconding.  Thereafter, it was

RESOLVED, unanimously:

(a).      that, pending successful confirmation of the funding bid to the Home Office, the Chief Fire Officer be seconded to act as the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the Mutli-Agency Integrated Service Analytics Hub regional collaboration initiative, subject to an appropriate secondment agreement being in place and also to key posts being backfilled to ensure resilience in the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service;

(b).      That the Assistant Chief Fire Officer (Service Improvement) be appointed as the Temporary Chief Fire Officer for the duration of the secondment (as set out in paragraph 3 of report DSFRA/17/31);

(c).      that, in relation to the funding associated with (a) and (b) above, Option 1 as set out at paragraph 7.2 of the report be approved, with any decision on extension beyond the period identified in that paragraph being subject to a further report to be submitted to the Authority towards the end of that period;

(d).      that, subject to the Chief Fire Officer secondment proceeding, Area Manager Peter Bond be appointed as Temporary Assistant Chief Fire Officer for a period of twelve months;

(e).      that, in the event of the Chief Fire Officer secondment extending beyond twelve months, an appointment process be undertaken by the Acting Chief Fire Officer to determine ongoing temporary Assistant Chief Fire Officer arrangements.

(NOTE:  AT 11.00HOURS, ON THE CONCLUSION OF THIS ITEM, THE MEETING WAS ADJOURNED, RECONVENING AT 11.10HOURS AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND PRESS)