Enhancing Effectiveness of Fire and Rescue Authorities in Public Safety

Public Policy Exchange Public Policy Exchange Role of Fire and Rescue Authorities in ensuring public safety: Strengthening Collaboration, Driving Transformation and Enhancing Effectiveness Audit, Assessment and Inspection: Audit, Assessment and Inspection: Locally determined, robust and risk based Locally determined, robust and risk based Pete Murphy Head of Research Nottingham Business School. 9th January 2018

Fire Sector Federation Intranet (circa 22nd January 2018) Working Paper 2: Draft of NBS response to the FRS National Framework: Government consultation Working Paper 3: Draft of NBS response to the HMICFRS consultation: FRS Inspection programme and framework 2018/19 Working Paper 4: Draft of NBS response to the proposed new Central Government Intervention Action for FRS (intervention protocol)

Fire and Rescue National Framework for England: Government Consultation Foreword, Introduction Context. Delivery of Core Functions Governance Achieving Value for Money National Resilience Inspection, Accountability and Assurance Not covering Workforce, the appendices notably the proposed Protocol on Assurance

Context, Foreword and Introduction Findings of the NAO/PAC Reports? Significant long-term and planned reductions in resources First contextual statement from minister old sore over the past decade we have witnessed a significant reduction in the number of fires implying .. Early statement in Introduction The proposals are unlikely to lead to additional costs or savings for businesses, charities or the voluntary Sector or on the public sector and pigs might fly!

Delivery of Core Functions Prevention is always better than cure disproportionate reductions in preventative actions and strategies across public services since 2010 Risk based proportionate fire inspections what FRS inspect and how many - both narrowed and reduced significantly Working with other should not be at the expense of core functions and only pursue demonstrated to impact effectively and efficiently on risk reduction within their communities.

Governance Managing the FRS CFO: The FRA should give due regard to the professional advice of the CFO when making decisions affecting the operation of the FRS Why is this not applicable to the PFCC? No obligation to have any fire and rescue expertise on the Police Fire and Crime Panel (PFCP) No mention of inspection of the efficiency and effectiveness of the scrutiny functions or the PFCPs (here or in HMICFRS consultation)?

Value for Money Long term reductions and planned reductions of central government grant allied to a continual cap on local revenue raising. All calculations are short term calculations (even the proposed reserves strategy!) with no appreciation that different policies and their evaluation should be short, medium or long term appropriate. No acknowledgement as to when to utilize Cost-benefit analysis Financial Return on Investment Assessments Multi Agency Return on Investment Assessments Social Return on Investment Assessment

National Resilience There are new tasks and responsibilities (eg. Terrorist Attacks or Marauding Terrorist Attacks) but no new resources Home Office will help FRAs in defining the gap between existing capabilities and capacities required to ensure national resilience no commitment to supporting the reduction or closing of the gap! National Resilience Assurance has to provide assurance to government but no assurance to the public!

Inspection, Accountability and Assurance The meaning of Independence MURPHY, P. and GREENHALGH, K., 2014. Peer challenge needs an independent Fire Inspectorate . , FIRE pp. 17-19. 2014 I intend to bring forward proposals to establish a rigorous and independent inspection regime for fire and rescue services in England Rt Hon Theresa May MP 24th May 2016 We will also create a rigorous independent inspection regime . Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP 19 October 2016 MURPHY, P. Independent inspectorate in danger of becoming Home Office handmaiden . FIRE, 112 (1398), pp. 9-11 2017

Inspection, Accountability and Assurance (cont) Multiple cases of dissonance and inconsistency between the two consultation documents particularly in relation to multi agency working and it proposed inspection/evaluation. HMICFRS refers to Service and Corporate Inspections the Home Office also refer to other techniques (peer review; self assessments) Service Inspections will be regular Corporate Inspections will be exceptions HMICFRS emphasise they are not funded for thematic or special Inspections HMICFRS not clear on non-FRS provided services (i.e. contracted out services) or jointly provided services

Inspection, Accountability and Assurance (cont) Accountability arrangements do not include scrutiny of PFCC by acknowledged fire expertise Assurance: there is no acknowledgement of the inadequacy of the current Statements of Assurance despite Home Office survey in 2016 Transparency reliant on existing requirements - no acknowledgement of the inadequacy of the current evidence base or the official statistics or any proposals to improve it.

Help with the background? Rhys Andrews and Rachel Ashworth Management reform and workforce diversity in the English Fire Service (Chapter 10) Catherine Farrell Governance Matters (Chapter 12) http://www.springer.com/gb/book/97 83319621531

Questions ?