Agenda item

The Director of People and Development presented the report.  As a public body there was a requirement to publish information which demonstrated compliance with the Equality Duty.  As an employer the aim was to recruit and develop a diverse workforce and to ensure that the workforce could work with dignity and respect, protected from any type of prejudice or discrimination. 

The Director of People and Development advised that an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group had been established which was chaired by the Chief Fire Officer to reflect that equality, diversity and inclusion was across all parts of the Service.

Equality objectives (as set out on page 104 of the agenda pack) were:

Our communities:

·         Support local businesses to reduce the risk of fire and remain compliant within fire safety legislation;

·         Reduce the number and impact of fire and other emergencies to our diverse communities across Lancashire;

·         Develop and deliver a Prevention service targeting our most vulnerable communities.

Our workforce:

·         Promote equality in our workforce policies and workforce practices;

·         Develop our staff to ensure they can respond competently meeting the different needs of our diverse communities.

It was noted that the completion of Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) was no longer a legal requirement however, it was considered EIA was an effective tool in demonstrating how the Service met its legal requirements under the public sector equality duty, identifying the impact of policies and decisions on staff and communities and ensuring that the impact was fully understood and any negative impact mitigated.  The Service ensured that any partnership operated in line with equality principles and associated equality duties.

Members noted other areas of focus related to equality, diversity and inclusion set out in section 7 of the report (which commenced on page 106 of the agenda pack) were: -

Accessibility

Information was made available in a variety of formats using multiple channels to best reach Lancashire’s diverse communities.  Equality and diversity values were promoted in key publications and information sources internally and externally.  Information was provided in printed form and via digital channels including the website.  The website met web content accessibility guidelines and work was ongoing towards compliance with public sector bodies (websites and mobile applications) accessibility regulations 2018.  Key messages were targeted at those who were most at risk.  Positive action campaigns were undertaken when recruiting to encourage women and under-represented groups to apply.  National campaigns and special events were supported (such as: Pride Month, I’m not a Muslim but I will Fast for One Day and International Women’s Day).  Information was also available in alternative formats (large print, additional languages on request and videos were produced with subtitles).  Measures from the British Dyslexia Association’s style guide were also applied to both internal and external material.

Training and Development

The Service had a proactive approach to training and development in relation to equality, diversity and inclusion.  The Service prioritised the development of a strong organisational culture where its values were understood, receiving ‘outstanding’ in its inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.  In addition to its STRIVE values, the Service had adopted the Code of Ethics for Fire and Rescue Services developed by the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Local Government Association. 

Recruitment and Selection

The Service continued its journey to improve the diversity of its workforce to ensure that it represented the community it served.  During 2018/19 the Service was successful in becoming an employer provider and recruited its first cohort of apprentices.  During 2020, the Service experienced real challenges in delivering positive action through the covid-19 pandemic with community engagement events postponed.  The recruitment campaign was delivered digitally, and while was positive in attracting women was less successful in recruiting candidates from black and minority ethnic communities.  During 2021, there was an opportunity to commence re-engagement with communities on a face-to-face basis with a view to promoting the Service as an employer of choice and the role of firefighter as an occupation open to people of all abilities, races, faiths, genders and backgrounds.

Workforce Strategies and Policies

The Service ensured its employment procedures were Equality Impact Assessed to ensure that equality was considered transparently in the development and implementation of its policies.  The Service monitored the composition of its workforce (as now considered at appendix A).  It looked to promote equality of opportunity in recruitment, selection, pay, promotion, training, grievance and exit from employment.  Members considered (appendix B which showed) a breakdown of candidates recruited and selected during the period 1/4/20- 31/3/21; an updated total number of applications during the period was tabled at the meeting.  There were a number of policies which supported employees with protected characteristics including: bullying and harassment, maternity, shared parental leave, grievance policy and the EDI policy.  During 2021, the maternity, paternity and adoption provisions had been improved.  Due to the pandemic the service had to work flexibly and would be looking how it could develop new ways of hybrid working, creating flexibility for staff.  In light of the new Code of Ethics a number of existing Service policies would be reviewed to embed the code into existing employment practices.

Engagement and Consultation

The Service engaged with staff formally through the Trade Unions through formal and informal consultation meetings.  Workforce and employment-related decisions and documents were reviewed with trade union representatives and other appropriate staff.  It was noted that the staff survey had become and effective way of receiving feedback from staff, and this was used by Heads of Department to inform the development of local policies and communication.  Employee voice groups were used to consult with staff.  There had been an increased use of Zoom and Teams during the pandemic which enabled a greater reach to communicate with wider groups of people.  The new Engine House intranet was successful and the ‘shout up’ section allowed staff to discuss and share views on a range of topics.  It was noted that the Service had produced learnpro modules for staff information which included 4 videos from staff telling their stories about what it was like to work in the Service.

The Service continued to collaborate and work with partners, particularly those in the Lancashire Resilience Forum and the Service had a Consultation Strategy which set out how it consulted.

Performance Management

The Annual Service Plan detailed the activities undertaken in year to deliver the strategy set out in the Integrated Risk Management Plan.  All staff had a performance appraisal where objectives were set which supported the delivery of plans and feedback was given on performance in relation to our values. Within the appraisal was the opportunity to have a career conversation, a useful tool to inform workforce planning.  During 2021, supervisory mangers would be developed to use this more effectively to identify training needs, communication promotion pathways, identify talent and nurture potential.

Bullying and Harassment

The Service had highly effective employee grievance and bullying and harassment procedures for dealing with employee complaints.  It had promoted the principle of having an informal word at the right time and then adopting the more formal approach where issues were identified, and this had worked successfully.  The Service had reviewed its existing arrangements with a view of checking if there were issues of concern within the workplace and the benefits of establishing a mechanism of formally reporting informal issues raised however, the review concluded that it would be onerous and would damage the principle of dealing with issues informally.  In addition, further to a recent review of the capability procedure, Trade Union representatives advised addressing issues informally and not recording them was of benefit in terms of engaging members of staff and effecting change. 

Gender Pay Gap

It was noted that due to the Covid-19 pandemic the government had removed the requirements relating to the gender pay gap reporting for 2020.  The Director of People and Development advised that the 2021 Gender Pay Gap would be reported to a future meeting.

Additional appendices considered were appendix C, Disciplinary, Grievance, Harassment and Bullying, appendix D, EDI Completed Action Plan 2020/21 and appendix E – EDI Action Plan 2021/22.

County Councillor Woollam referred to page 112 of the agenda pack which detailed the average age of wholetime firefighters to be 43 for all roles and 47 for strategic and first line supervisor roles.  He queried what work was being done to encourage more people into the fire service, in particular the recruitment of younger people.  In response, the Director of People and Development advised that the average age reflected the length of employment and low turnover.  Recruits tended to be newer to the job market (including graduates), or after having some work experience and were therefore younger.  He confirmed that the Service did not employ anyone younger than 18 unless they had joined as a fire cadet. 

In addition, the Director of People and Development confirmed there were close links with the University of Central Lancashire who ran a Fire degree course which the Service had at times provided input into.  It was noted that a further challenge regarding workforce planning was the requirement for more qualified fire safety inspectors following regulatory changes in technical fire safety.

In relation to page 116 of the agenda pack regarding the number of potential harassment and bullying cases County Councillor Pattison queried whether there were team building/training days.  In response, the Director of People and Development advised that as part the apprentice training there was a residential element which concentrated on our values.  He confirmed that during a person’s career there were various learning and development activities that included elements of team building.  In relation to bullying and harassment, he would be very disappointed if someone who worked for the Service did not understand the STRIVE values and knew what was expected of their behaviours around STRIVE values and the Code of Ethics.

County Councillor Mirfin, referred to the age profile on page 113 of the agenda pack.  He commented there were a lot of people in the age groups 45-49 and 50-55 and queried how the Service addressed the potential loss of institutional memory as experienced people left the Service.  In response the Director of People and Development advised that due to constraints the Authority decided not to recruit firefighters for an extended period rather than make people redundant.  The resulting gap in the workforce was being addressed through workforce planning and organisational development.  There was a challenge to maintain operational experience however, the Service was looking at promotional pathways to develop people with the right abilities to be available at the right time and place.  Contingency planning was also required for personnel in support functions.

RESOLVED:- That the report be noted.