Agenda item

Group Manager (GM) Emma Price presented the report to Members regarding His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) activity and Lancashire Fire and Rescue Services (LFRS’s) planning arrangements.

Kev Wilkie left the meeting at 11:05.

Round 3 Overview

HMICFRS commenced Round 3 inspections in early 2023, the three pillars; effectiveness, efficiency, and people remained the same as Round 2. Likewise, the 11 diagnostics under each pillar which inspectors made graded judgements against.

LFRS’s inspection would commence on 17 February 2025. The inspection team would work remotely for the first three weeks whilst they reviewed service documentation and data. The inspection team would physically be in service for weeks 4 and 6 (w/c 10 and 24 March) and conduct interviews, reality testing and further reviews, weeks 5, 7, and 8 were all remote, inspection activity would conclude early April. The strategic brief was the opportunity for the Chief Fire Officer and executive board to brief the HMI, service liaison lead and inspection team, setting out an overview of performance and any successes or areas for improvement. The chair of the fire authority would also attend and following the brief they would be interviewed. This would take place on Friday 28 March.

On Monday 20 January 2025, HMICFRS issued LFRS with a document request and self-assessment which would be returned by Friday 14 February 2025. HMICFRS had also issued three surveys; staff survey, human resources survey and a trade union survey.

Area Manager (AM) Tom Powell and GM Emma Price had continued to hold weekly engagement meetings with Phil Innis, LFRS’s Service Liaison Lead (SLL). Phil was unable to complete LFRS’s inspection due to leading Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) inspection; a handover process had commenced with the services temporary SLL for this inspection, Vicky Lowry. 

Kev Wilkie rejoined the meeting at 11:07.

Vicky was new to HMICFRS, starting on the 6th January, Vicky was currently Head of Admin, Policy, and Strategy – Prevention and Protection at London Fire Brigade. Vicky would be supported by Spencer Rowland who was an SLL and had led Cheshire, West Yorkshire and Cleveland FRS inspections during round 3. Vicky and Spencer had visited LFRS within the last week.

The Organisational Assurance Team within the Service Improvement Department continued to track progress against the service’s previous inspection, monitor national themes and prepare LFRS for its Round 3 inspection.

HMICFRS had published 26 Round 3 inspection reports. A summary of the gradings for all 26 FRSs inspected so far in Round 3 were included in the report.

Positive Practice

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Positive Practice Portal provided details about interventions, which had been developed by one or more Fire and Rescue Service to address a particular need, concern or organisational change recognised by the NFCC or HMICFRS as an innovative or positive practice. These practices were in different functional areas and may include operational and non-operational responses, business practices and good ideas.

LFRS actively engaged with the positive practice process and had made two further submissions since the previous report, taking the total submissions published on the portal to 11:

• ROV/Underwater Drone
• On Call Stations Work Hubs
• Safety during Hajj Campaign
• Climate Response - Partnership Working
• Climate Response - Innovation
• Composite Fencing
• NFCC BCP E-learning package
• SSRI Info Risk Based Calculator
• Public Space Protection Order
• New – Assurance monitoring system
• New – Risk Based Inspection Programme (RBIP)

A further 3 submissions were in progress:

• Organisational Development – Developing current and new leaders
• Management of PPE
• Responding to trauma and emotions / wellbeing programme

LFRS would continue to monitor positive practice submissions and attend future events, benchmarking the services progress against areas identified, and exploring potential areas for improvement.

HMICFRS Standards of behaviour: The handling of misconduct in fire and rescue services

HMICFRS published their Standards of behaviour: The handling of misconduct in fire and rescue services report in August 2024. This followed the detailed inspection of 10 FRSs, as well as analysing data provided by all 44 FRSs in England about their grievance and discipline cases. The service was making progress through the reports 15 recommendations which were virtually all completed.

Values and culture in Fire and Rescue Services

Values and culture in Fire and Rescue Services remained a focus for HMICFRS, LFRS continued to work proactively in terms of promoting its values and engendering an organisational culture where all employees could thrive. 

The HMICFRS had asked FRS not to provide any written updates at this point, as they were introducing their interactive monitoring portal. LFRS was due to be onboarded on to the portal prior to the services inspection, the Organisational Assurance Team had attended online briefing sessions in preparation for this change in reporting.

The role of the Equality Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group had been expanded to include culture, the Equality, Diversity, Inclusion Culture Board (EDICB) provided the governance and monitoring of the Service in relation to EDI and culture, annual reports were also submitted to the Fire Authority.

HMICFRS Chief and Chairs event

As previously reported, the latest HMICFRS Chief and Chairs event took place on 14 November 2024, with the then CFO, Justin Johnston, ACFO Jon Charters and CC Nikki Hennessy attending.

Presentations and discussions focused on the following topics:

• Fire protection and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

• The 2025-27 inspection programme

• Staff misconduct

• Leadership and improving performance

HMICFRS Autumn Data Collection

The Autumn Data collection closed on Friday 22 November. LFRS submitted the return on time with no issues or queries received.

County Councillor D O’Toole asked for clarification of how the round 2 and 3 data was presented, GM Emma Price confirmed that the round 3 data was the most recent and the round 2 data was the prior inspection information.

County Councillor D O’Toole remarked that a number of services had seen a drop in gradings since the round 2 inspections with a number of services ‘requiring improvement’ in relation to ensuring fairness and promoting diversity. The DCFO advised that any areas for improvement (AFI’s) identified could move a Service from ‘good’ into an ‘adequate’ grading, and he confirmed that LFRS had 6 AFIs in their last inspection. The DCFO further commented that there had been a number of hard-hitting national reviews in relation to people and culture within FRSs but LFRS had done a vast amount of work in that area along with the areas where AFIs were previously identified.

GM Emma Price confirmed that LFRS’s previous AFI’s were;

1. Evaluation of prevention activity – LFRS had strengthened the evaluation process including online campaigns.
2. Collaboration evaluation – As covered in the Blue Light Collaboration Board Update report.
3. Resource risk based intervention programme – LFRS had restructured the prevention team, ensuring that the highest risk areas were reviewed by the highest qualified officers.
4. Test continuity plans – LFRS had reviewed its business continuity plan (BCP) policy, strengthened its BCPs, introduced a process for testing and exercise of the BCPs and if a BCP was implemented the effectiveness was reviewed and fed back.
5. North West Fire Control (NWFC) access to risk information – 3 out of the 4 services within the area received an AFI in this area which related to NWFC being able to see high risk detailed plans, a mobile data terminal had been provided to NWFC to allow them to access all risk information if required.
6. Turnaround time on building consultation – LFRS had improved its building consultation process and ensured that the right level of protection officer was dealing with each consultation.

In response to a question from County Councillor N Hennessy in relation to AFIs in other FRSs, the DCFO confirmed that the Organisational Assurance Team reviewed and evaluated AFIs from all FRSs to implement organisational learning as required. The DCFO remarked that LFRS was as prepared as it could be for its round 3 inspection and reminded members that the HMICFRS round 4 inspection would focus on governance.

County Councillor N Hennessy remarked that as chair to the authority she had recently attended a number of employee voice groups and asked if this area of work could be considered for submission to the positive practice portal. The DCFO confirmed that most services had employee voice groups similar to LFRS and the positive practice portal was focusing on exceptional examples of work, although the services work with employee voice groups was something to be proud of. County Councillor N Hennessy agreed that the discussion around issues and life experiences within the employee voice groups was very important.

The DCFO confirmed that LFRS should receive a hot debrief at the end of April which would provide insight into the possible outcome of the inspection with a draft report expected in June 2025.

The Chair thanked GM Emma Price and the DCFO for the report and acknowledged the hard work that had gone into it.

Resolved: That the Planning Committee noted and endorsed the report.