Meeting Details

The Treasurer informed Members of the current position on budgets and expenditure for 2019/20.

Members were made aware of a number of budget reallocations:

• Release of the pay award provision
• Allocation of inflation provision and other SMB re-alignment
• Grossing up of capitalised PPL costs to make monitoring clearer
• Conversion of budget income from service charges at Kings Court.

With reference to the out-turn projection, Members were informed of two items:

• £0.500m underspending on capital financing charges
• £0.285m provision for the back-dating of the still unresolved July 2017 Grey Book pay award.

The Treasurer confirmed to Members that the future building schemes included Redditch Fire Station, Hereford Fire Station, Broadway Fire Station and the fourth strategic training facility.

RESOLVED that the Committee:

i)   approved the transfer of £0.250m capital financing underspend to Prevention and Protection initiatives to be confirmed by the Chief Fire Officer;

ii)  approved the transfer of £0.250m capital financing underspend to support the Fire Station replacement programme; and

iii) noted the potential transfer to the pay award reserve and the continuing budget risk regarding the pay award.

Members were provided with a summary of the Service's Quarter 1 performance against a comprehensive set of Performance Indicators agreed by the Senior Management Board.

With reference to the Wyre Forest Hub, Members were informed that 11 new recruits were based at the current station in readiness to move to the new Hub.

A Member requested a further breakdown on special services data in future reports and the Deputy Chief Fire Officer confirmed that this would be available in the future.

RESOLVED that Members note the following headlines drawn from Appendix 1 relating to performance in Quarter 1, 2019-20:

i)  total of 1,803 incidents were attended in Q1, a decrease of 5.95% (114 incidents) over the same Quarter of 2018-19, and 3.20% (56 incidents) higher than the average for the last five years. The overall five year trend shows a gradual increase in the total number of incidents.

ii) The majority of the decrease in Q1 is accounted for by a drop in the numbers of Fire and False Alarm incidents, while the number of Special Service incidents was up:

a. Fires: a decrease of 22.70% was mainly accounted for by a drop in the number of Secondary Fires (-31.74%).

b. Special Services: an increase of 19.24% (91 incidents) was mainly accounted for by increases in the number of Assisting other agencies (71) and Other Special Services (61) incidents.

c. False Alarms: a decrease of 8.17% (69 incidents), the most frequent automatic activations are at a number of sheltered housing, nursing homes and hospitals.

iii) Overall Staff Sickness level for Q1 2019-20 was 3.03 days lost per head and was above the 5-year average of 1.81.

iv)The Service attended 47.89% (68 incidents) of Primary Building Fires within 10 minutes in Quarter 1, compared with 60.64% in the same period in 2018-19. The average time for the first fire appliance attendance at all Primary Building Fires was 10 minutes and 41 seconds.

v) The overall availability of the first On-Call (Retained) fire appliance remains high at 84.33%; however, this has decreased by 4.75% when compared to the same period in 2018-19.

The Authority were asked to exclude members of the public and press from Agenda Item 7.

It was RESOLVED to exclude the public and press on the grounds that the discussion would be likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information within the meaning of section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, namely - information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

The Head of Legal Services presented a report to consider disposing of the Authority’s freehold interest in the former Headquarters building at 2 Kings Court, Worcester.

Members were reminded that at the Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 28 March 2018 Members approved the lease of 2 Kings Court to Worcestershire Health & Care NHS Trust and authorised officers to market the property with a view to the potential sale of the freehold reversion in due course, as advised.

Members were informed that the Authority had now received an offer from a prospective purchaser interested in acquiring 2 Kings Court as an investment property.

[Councillor Adams entered the meeting at 2:01pm].

Members were asked to consider whether to retain the rental income from the property or generate a capital receipt from the sale of the freehold and if the decision is to sell, whether to accept the current offer.

RESOLVED that:

(i)   the Authority accepts the current offer for the purchase of the freehold reversion to 2 Kings Court

(ii)  Head of Legal Services be authorised to proceed with the sale on the terms proposed, subject to contract