Agenda item

Purpose of report: For the Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee to scrutinise the ‘Making Surrey Safer’ plan and review the feedback from the public consultation, making recommendations to Cabinet.

Declarations of interest:

None

Witnesses:

Denise Turner Stewart, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire & Resilience

Steve Owen Hughes, Director of Community Protection & Emergencies

Key points raised during the discussion:

1.     The Cabinet Member thanked the Working Group for their work and felt that appropriate scrutiny of the service had been undertaken. The Cabinet Member stated her support for the Working Groups recommendations.

2.     It was queried by members if the changes to the fire service were part of cost saving measures. The Cabinet Member stated that a £6m saving target for the year had been removed and the new plan would be making significant capital investment to the service as part of the councils wider transformation plan.

3.     With regards to older firefighters who did not pass the annual fitness tests, the aim would be to expand the role of the firefighter so that experience and expertise would remain within the service. To do this, discussions would need to take place with the Unions on a national level. There was support from the committee on this approach.

4.     Concern was raised around the risks to vulnerable people impacted by the change to response times in the new plan. Officers were asked what assurance they could give that the overall risk to the community would be reduced. The Director of Community Protection & Emergencies stated that prevention activity would increase with the number of safe and well visits increasing to 20,000. The committee could be assured that prevention activity would see a decline in the number of incidents.   

5.     A member of the Working Group explained the importance of the committee holding the service to account on response times which has been included within one of the Groups recommendations. Giving an anecdote, the member spoke positively about an experience he had recently had with the fire service.

6.     It was queried how culture within the service would be transformed for the better. The Director of Community Protection & Emergencies recognised that there were cultural issues within the service. The service had not had any changes since the 1970’s and bullying and harassment would be addressed through specific plans. The Director of Community Protection & Emergencies spent one day per week with staff at fire stations and stated that he was happy to listen to staff concerns.       

7.     The Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Fire & Resilience confirmed that the level of engagement undertaken by the service had been unprecedented.

8.     There was a recognition from members that there was a great amount of misinformation about the service on social media. Officers recognised that more needed to be done to highlight the positive work the service was doing.

9.     The Cabinet Member for Community Safety requested scrutiny support from the Working Group on how best for the service to engage with residents. It was felt that it would be useful for the Working Group to continue its work. 

10.  It was confirmed that last calendar year there were two fatal fire deaths, and that last financial year 2018/9 there were four deaths at three separate incidents which included two accidental fires and one deliberate incident. The new approach to prevention work would help lower these numbers.

11.  It was confirmed that the new plan did not account for Section 14 arrangements with neighboring fire authorities which would help build in resilience.    

Resolved:

The Communities, Environment and Highways Select Committee,

       i.          endorse the ‘Making Surrey Safer – Our Plan’ 2020-23 and recommend the Plan to Cabinet for approval subject to the recommendations of the Working Group,

      ii.          receive an update on the progress of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service response to the HMICFRS improvement plan in November 2019,

     iii.          continue to support the service with scrutinising areas identified within the HMICFRS Report, focusing on culture within the service and public engagement with residents.