Agenda item

Report of the Interim Chief Fire Officer and the Chief Fire Officer (DSFRA/19/8) attached.

The Authority considered a report of the Interim Chief Fire Officer and Chief Fire Officer (DSFRA/19/8) on a proposed revision to the Service Executive Board structure.  The report summarised previous reviews together with significant changes since the last of these (in 2017) prompting the current proposals.  These included:

·        The need to deliver the Change & Improvement Programme (Safer Together) to address changing community needs and a diminishing financial envelope, effectively matching resources to risk;

·        Associated with this, the need to ensure that the “people” strand of the programme was appropriately led, developed and implemented.

To address these issues, the report proposed, amongst other things:

·        the establishment of a Deputy Chief Fire Officer post with responsibility for implementation and delivery of Service plans along with the day-to day running of the Service in line with the agreed direction and vision.  This would afford the Chief Fire Officer time to progress important external factors and relationships of strategic importance to the Authority and which would shape the Service in the future;

·        the establishment of a Director of People and Organisational Development post to take the developmental lead on critical areas of change relating to the Safer Together “people” strand; and

·        the establishment of an Assistant Director (Deputy Assistant Chief Fire Officer) post to provide Principal Officer resilience and cover and support the Deputy Chief Fire Officer in the discharge of responsibilities linked to operational activities including attendance as required at the Strategic Co-ordinating Group (Multi-Agency Gold Command).

The report identified that a wider Service Delivery managerial review would result in minimum savings of £1.094m.  The investment in the revised senior management structure would not exceed £0.150m (including provision for any changes resulting from job evaluation).  Given this, the report proposed that £0.850m of the proposed savings in 2019-20 be allocated to bringing forward proposals to increase the level of front-line delivery activity identified in the Safer Together programme, thereby improving outcomes for communities.  The remaining £0.094m savings could be used as a revenue contribution to capital. 

Revised recommendations to report DSFRA/19/8 were circulated at the meeting.

RESOLVED that, as set out in the revise recommendations as circulated at the meeting:

(a).       that the Service Executive Board structure as set out at Appendix A to report DSFRA/19/8 be approved;

(b).       that, arising from (a) above:

(i)           the vacancy for the post of Deputy Chief Fire Officer be ring-fenced to the two existing substantive Assistant Chief Fire Officers, with the Chief Fire Officer’s Appraisals Panel delegated authority to determine the appointment and associated level of remuneration following the review referred to at paragraph 3.13 of report DSFRA/19/8;

(ii)          the vacancy for the post of Director of People and Organisational Development be advertised nationally, with the Chief Fire Officer’s Appraisals Panel delegated authority to determine the appointment;

(iii)        the temporary appointment to the post of Assistant Chief Fire Officer (Service Improvement), initially approved by the Authority at its meeting on 20 October 2017 (Minute DSFRA/33 refers), be continued pending the appointment and commencement of the Director of People and Organisational Development to facilitate an effective and efficient transition to the new Service Executive Board structure; and

(c).        that implementation of the new Service Delivery managerial structure be approved, with £0.850m of the resultant identified savings used to deliver improvements contained in the Safer Together programme.

(SEE ALSO MINUTE DSFRA/43 BELOW).