Agenda item

The Director of Corporate Services (DoCS) presented the report to members.

Productivity and Efficiency Plans had been produced annually since 2024-25 and formed part of the national framework for fire and rescue authorities in England. For 2026-27, responsibility for the plan had moved to MHCLG and the format of the plan was prescribed nationally.

The national requirements for 2026-27 were broader than in previous years. The plan now required: multi-year financial information through to 2028-29; an efficiency narrative showing how savings had been achieved; a productivity narrative supported by stronger evidence where possible; reporting for both wholetime and on-call activity; and a new section on service changes and achievements. Direct employee savings could still be described in the wider financial strategy, but they no longer counted towards the headline efficiency total in the same way as under the previous approach.

The key elements of the plan included:

·         Strong delivery in 2025-26, including significant non-pay efficiencies and operational improvements linked to dynamic resource management and reduced standby activity.

·         A pipeline of future opportunities from 2026-27 onwards, including fleet, ICT, estates, charging and operating model changes, with delivery subject to the normal approval, assurance and consultation arrangements where required.

·         A broader set of productivity initiatives, such as digitisation of operational processes, improvements in training delivery, on-call development changes and better capture of workforce activity, which were intended to release capacity for front-line and support priorities.

·         Finally, the plan highlighted the Service’s collaboration activity, income generation work and Modern Ways of Working arrangements as part of a wider approach to continuous improvement.

The plan set out a number of material headlines for Lancashire, including non-pay efficiency savings delivered in 2025-26, the continued benefits of dynamic resource management and dynamic cover approaches, a pipeline of future efficiency opportunities, and a wider range of productivity initiatives covering operational, digital, training and workforce activity. The full productivity and efficiency plan was included at appendix A within the agenda pack.

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to premises expenditure, the DoCS explained that this related to day-to-day running costs.

In response to a question from County Councillor J Tetlow in relation to direct employee costs, the DoCS explained that this related to an assumption on pay awards and staffing numbers which was set out within the authorities budget within establishment.

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to the lifespan of vehicles and depreciation, the DoCS explained that the lifespan of vehicles would be expanded where it represented value for money, with fleet vehicles moved around the service as appropriate to support this. County Councillor J Tetlow asked how vehicles at the end of their life cycle were disposed of, the DoCS explained that vehicles at the end of their life cycle had a very low financial value and were therefore donated to charity and often taken abroad by charities.

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to the reduction on expenditure in relation to fire protection, the DoPD explained that this could be attributed to utilising resources more efficiently. The Chair added that there could be more synergy with Public Health Services which he encouraged members to promote.

County Councillor G Mirfin remarked that electric vehicles often had expensive hidden costs, County Councillor J Tetlow had recently completed some research into this which he suggested be shared and considered by the DoCS. County Councillor J Tetlow added that battery replacements could be very expensive for electric vehicles.

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to social value benefits, the Chair confirmed that the committee had recently received a report in relation to the social value benefits achieved during the Blackpool Fire Station refurbishment.

County Councillor G Mirfin suggested that co-location could be considered with other blue light and local authority services. The Chair added that Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) could result in a number of locations becoming available and merging of fire stations could be considered. Members agreed that some buildings were no longer fit for purpose and suggested possible alternatives including the services Leadership and Development Centre and Lancashire County Councils County Hall. The Chair added that members would continue to lobby MP’s in relation to funding for fire and rescue services.

Resolved: That the Committee noted the report.