Agenda item

The Director of People and Development (DoPD) presented the report. The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Culture Annual Report 2025 – 2026 and Delivery Plan 2026 – 2027 offered a comprehensive overview of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s (LFRS) ongoing commitment to fostering equality, diversity, and inclusion across its operations. Shaped by statutory obligations including the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 and the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010, LFRS’s approach was further informed by inspections from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

 

This report demonstrated how LFRS was managing risks to its workforce and the communities it serves, advancing equality of opportunity, and promoting good relations among all groups. It detailed performance in fulfilling legal duties, outlined strategic delivery plans, and identified key areas of focus such as accessibility, recruitment, training, and community engagement. The report also highlighted the Service’s method for evidencing compliance and transparency in meeting its public sector equality obligations.

 

Key areas covered within the report included;

 

Accessibility

During the year, the Communications team strengthened the organisation’s approach to accessibility, helping to ensure that information was easier for everyone to access, understand and use.

 

A more structured and strategic approach was developed, including the commissioning of external accessibility support and regular engagement with a specialist provider. An external accessibility audit on the website and debrief provided a clear assessment of current performance, identified areas for improvement, and established a baseline to inform future activity.

 

To build internal capability, a programme of accessibility training was delivered for staff. This included introductory and more advanced sessions on accessible document creation, complex documents and accessible data presentation. Colleagues from a range of teams took part, with the training focused on practical steps staff can apply in their day-to-day work to create content that meets accessibility standards and is easier to navigate.

 

Internal guidance was also promoted and embedded to support consistent practice across the Service. The accessibility guide continued to provide staff with clear advice on document formatting, plain language, use of images, alternative text and digital content. This helped establish a shared reference point for producing accessible and inclusive communications.

 

There was evidence that accessibility practices were becoming more embedded at a local level, with staff increasingly using built-in Microsoft accessibility tools to identify and address issues such as missing alternative text and document formatting errors. This reflected a positive shift towards considering accessibility as part of everyday communication and content creation, supported by initiatives such as Digital Champions and wider internal engagement.

 

This work supported the Service’s wider equality, diversity and inclusion objectives by helping to remove barriers and improve access to information for staff, communities and stakeholders. It also linked with broader inclusion activity, including support for neurodiversity.

 

Engagement and Consultation

The Service had a consultation strategy, providing a framework for understanding public opinion on significant policy changes. This strategy was reviewed in February 2026 to ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidance, as well as to incorporate insights gained from previous public consultation exercises. In 2025-26, two public consultations took place.

 

From December to February, the public were consulted regarding the proposed council tax precept. There were 970 respondents. 99% were Lancashire residents with broad geographical representation, an equitable distribution between male and female participants, and inclusion of all age groups, and 23% identified as disabled. 94% of respondents identified as White, 2% as Asian and 4% as other ethnic groups.

 

From January to March, consultation on the Service’s next Community Risk Management Plan was carried out in the first phase of our Shaping our Service for the Future consultation to understand community needs and expectations.

 

There were 2,223 responses to the consultation, the highest number achieved to-date, including: 1,911 residents representing every district in Lancashire; 119 partner agencies, parish and town councils, voluntary and community groups; 73 businesses; and 110 employees. 69% were aged 60 and above, 60% of respondents were women and 36% were men, and 25% indicated they had a disability. Some respondents opted to select ‘prefer not to say’ in answer to the equalities questions and they were not obliged to answer the questions in order to take part in the consultation.

 

Social media engagement varied across platforms during 2025-26, with average engagement rates above the industry average on Facebook (6.25%), LinkedIn (8.83%), and TikTok (4.07%), contrasted by lower engagement rates on Instagram (1.62%) and NextDoor (0.76%). The Service continuously evaluated the demographics of followers and content performance across each platform to determine optimal channels for reaching diverse groups.

 

Email newsletter subscribers increased from 101,061 to over 105,000 and the Service’s website saw an increase in visitors from 624,000 to 792,000. The website included an accessibility tool called 'Assist Me' which enabled visitors to change colour contrasts, change the size of the text and change the way the text appeared to make it easier for people with dyslexia and ADHD, for example, to read.

 

On-call recruitment and fitness for firefighter recruitment were the topics of episodes published in the Service’s podcast series, Out of the Ashes: Stories from Lancashire. Pendle Community Radio was a key platform for engaging diverse communities throughout the year on topics including fire safety, seasonal campaigns such as water safety and wildfire prevention, and electrical safety.

 

During 2025-26, principal officers, directors, and area managers completed 92 station visits, and several in-person extended leadership events were held for middle and senior managers. There were 176 wellbeing interactions including workshops, support dog visits, and station drop-in.

 

Five employee voice groups, representing race and religion, women and families, LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, and disability, offered valuable perspectives for policy development, recruitment, education, and intelligence sharing about emerging communities. These groups facilitated consultation and feedback, ensuring that potential negative impacts were identified and addressed.

 

Values and establishing a culture where people thrive

Numerous cultural reviews had been conducted across various Services, resulting in a range of recommendations, including those provided by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services

(HMICFRS). The Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Culture (EDIC) Board had been established as the mechanism for monitoring progress on these recommendations and overseeing activities designed to foster a positive Service culture where all staff members could thrive.

 

The anonymous reporting helpline remained an effective channel for employees to raise concerns, with appropriate actions and interventions implemented in response to certain reports. Standard DBS checks were routinely completed for all staff, accompanied by a role-based risk assessment to determine if an Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List check was necessary. The Legal Services and Standards Manager oversaw all misconduct cases and staff-related complaints, ensuring that such matters were addressed fairly, consistently, and promptly.

 

Training and Development

The Service provided access to external coaching for all staff members, and had launched an internal mentoring scheme, Lift and Climb.  Since its inception, 57 individuals had requested a mentor, with 12 requests from women.

 

In October 2024 and March 2025, the service partnered with Lancashire Police and North West Ambulance Service to offer three leadership development events, which addressed resilience and well-being, effective crisis communication, and generational differences. Further training opportunities were planned for 2026-2027.

 

Workforce Strategies and Policies

The service had numerous policies which supported employees with a protected characteristic, details were included within appendix 1 of the report.

 

Gender Pay Gap (GPG) Reporting

The government had completed its consultation on the proposed Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, which sought to introduce mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for larger employers. In March 2026, the Government confirmed its intention to legislate for these requirements, aligning them closely with the existing gender pay gap reporting framework.

 

While these reporting obligations were not yet in force and the implementation timetable was still to be confirmed, it was expected that they would apply to employers with 250 or more employees, including Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS). The Service was therefore undertaking preparatory work to review data availability, quality and disclosure rates to ensure readiness for future reporting requirements.

 

Workforce Profile

Employment monitoring data was collected and reported annually in relation to all protected groups apart from gender reassignment due to the sensitive confidential nature of this information. Since 2024-25, the proportion of women employed increased from 20.8% to 21.1%. The percentage of employees identifying as BME increased from 3.5% to 3.8%. The proportion of staff declaring a disability rose from 3.4% to 4.1%.

 

Members noted that the EDIC action plan 2025-26 was included at appendix D of the agenda pack.

 

In response to a question from Councillor S Sidat in relation to the challenges of attracting diverse groups for recruitment, the DoPD explained that historically women did not always see themselves in the role of a firefighter and often the full offering of the service and range of roles available was not fully understood by individuals outside of the service. Additionally, she explained that often individuals were influenced by family traditions and the public sector was no longer as attractive as it previously was with the private sector often able to offer higher salaries.

 

Councillor S Sidat asked if the service engaged with schools to promote recruitment, the DoPD explained that the service did do some recruitment activities within schools but this was limited due to the service not having a dedicated recruitment team, meaning that any recruitment activity was reliant on resources being available.

 

The Chair asked if the service had considered working with blue light partners in relation to recruitment, the DoPD explained that joint recruitment activities were managed through the Blue Light Collaboration Board, however it was sometimes beneficial for the service to carry out independent recruitment activities. The Chair commented that their had been a recent discussion at the Health and Wellbeing Board meeting in relation to the challenges of recruiting healthcare assistants. Councillor S Sidat added that he had undertaken work with the army to promote the range of different roles available. The DoPD explained that the service could do more but was restricted due to staff availability with Prevention and On-Call staff utilised to promote recruitment wherever possible. The Monitoring Officer added that the whole-time firefighter recruitment was always largely oversubscribed.

 

The DoPD emphasised the importance of getting the right people for the role. The Chair asked if the service used social media to promote recruitment, the DoPD confirmed that the service used a range of social media platforms.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to membership of the EDIC Board, the DoPD confirmed that the board was chaired by the Chief Fire Officer, Councillor S Sidat attended as the Member Champion for EDIC and each Area Manager attended as Chairs of the services employee voice groups. County Councillor G Mirfin asked for further information in relation to the employee voice groups, the DoPD confirmed that there were five groups, representing race and religion, women and families, LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, and disability.

 

County Councillor G Mirfin remarked that he was pleased to note that the service had utilised Nomis data rather than census data.

 

County Councillor G Mirfin asked what the Nation Fire Estates Group was, the DoCS confirmed that this was a NFCC group with a member of LFRS’s Property Team representing the service within the group.

 

County Councillor G Mirfin asked if engagement methods other than social media were utilised to engage ethnic minority communities. The DoPD explained that the service used radio and face to face engagement wherever possible. Councillor S Sidat added that the service also utilised TikTok to communicate with younger groups.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation the career backgrounds of firefighters recruited, the DoPD explained that there were mixed career backgrounds with some recruits coming from police, ambulance, prison or teacher backgrounds and other coming straight from university.

 

County Councillor G Mirfin asked for more information on the lift and climb scheme.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to accessing funds to support those involved in the asylum and refugee schemes, the Chair requested that the ACFO contact the Director of Communities at Lancashire County Council to understand if the fund could support some of the services prevention work that the service undertook in this area.

 

County Councillor G Mirfin requested information relating to the support that the service provided to the farming community, he requested that this information also be provided to the Agricultural Champion at Lancashire County Council.

 

In response to a question from County Councillor G Mirfin in relation to allyship and active bystander training, the DoPD explained that this training centred around giving staff the confidence to challenge behaviour within the workplace and have difficult conversations.

 

Resolved: That the report be noted.