Executive Board Minutes – 30 April 2020

Will Naylor (WN) – Deputy North Yorkshire Police Fire & Crime Commissioner

Lisa Winward (LW) – Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police

Phil Cain (PC) – Deputy Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police

Andrew Brodie (AB) – Chief Fire Officer, North Yorkshire Fire Service

Jonathan Foster (JF) – Deputy Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, North Yorkshire Fire Service

Ray Ward (RW) – Managing Director, Enable

Simon Dennis (SD) – Interim Chief Executive, Police Fire & Crime Commissioner

Michael Porter (MP) – Chief Finance Officer, Police Fire & Crime Commissioner

Sharon Caddell (SC) – Temporary Assistant Chief Executive, Police Fire & Crime Commissioner

Maria Earles (ME) – Head of Organisation and Development, North Yorkshire Police

Jane Wintermeyer (JW) – Head of Legal Services / Force Solicitor

Annette Anderson (AA) – Assistant Chief Constable, North Yorkshire Police

Mike Clements (MC) – Head of Finance, North Yorkshire Police

Amanda Bowers (Exec Assistant) – Interim Executive Assistant to Police Fire & Crime Commissioner (minutes)

Matters Arising & Action Log Updates

JM ran through Action Log outside of the meeting.

Ø  Action 1 Carried Forward Change Pipeline/Outcomes Tracker: Agreed for the final draft document to be presented at the next meeting in May 2020. JM confirmed this Action will be added to May’s EB Meeting Agenda.

Ø  Action 2: Ingleton & Bentham: RW still awaiting the data on costs and usage. Nothing changed on the ground. Once RW has received the decision notice from WN, RW will then produce communication. YAS briefed. Data Lead – Simon Garnett-Spence. JM to call RW outside of EB to discuss further.

Ø  Action 3: TOM: Action completed.

Ø  Action 4: Force Control Update: Action completed.

Ø  Action 5: February EB Minute Amends: Action completed.

Ø  Action 6: Fire and Rescue Governance Structure: JM and SD to still discuss.

Ø  Action 7: Major Crime Unit: PC and MW to update and confirm if this will be ready for discussion in May or June EB.

Ø  Action 8: JIAC Report: Agenda Item for September EB Meeting. Exec Asst has added this to the forward plan for September.

Ø  Action 9: Police Enforcement: Action completed.

Ø  Action 10: LRF Communication: Action completed.

Ø  Action 11: Safety Camera Vans Press Release: Action completed.

Ø  Action 12: NYFRS & YAS Covid Collaboration: Action completed.

Ø  Action 13: James Brokenshire Update: Action completed.

Ø  Action 14: Self Employed Fire Fighter Strategy: Action completed.

Ø  Action 15: Covid Business Continuity: Action completed.

Ø  Action 16: Newby Wiske:  Action completed.

AA introduced update on the recovery plan and how NYP can identify what’s been useful/not been useful and how this can be embedded into future BAU. LW added that there is also a huge amount of national work regarding recovery currently going on too.

JM asked AB to discuss why NYFRS have decided on a ‘Renewal Plan’, and not a Recovery Plan.  AB explained by renewing it’s about maintaining the good areas they’ve adapted rather than reverting to old ways.

AA stated there are now national and regional structures being put into place.

She is the lead for North Yorkshire and will feed in to regional and national recovery plan/ organisational learning discussions.

AA revealed that crime and incidents have reduced during Covid-19, providing opportunities where they’ve identified that NYP have been able to deal with incidents more efficiently. Examples given: Force Control Room where better communications and signposting to the public with ‘101’ number/messages have tightened up housekeeping and another productive area was the essential safeguarding that has been achieved effectively remotely.

AA has set up a formal structure of work streams:

1^st – Organisational Learning

2^nd – Recovery Plan

3^{rd –} Resource Management

4^th – Capturing Efficiencies

Concluding that is where the plan currently stands. JM thanked AA and asked if she would circulate diagram of structure to EB board member’s after the meeting.

JM requested AA to not to heavily focus on regional/national changes but keep local and routed through T.O.M because the efficiency and effectiveness for North Yorkshire is the priority.

JM also wanted to make sure LRF decision making is being recorded properly and audited. AA confirmed NYP set up internal system to handle this.

JM would like to understand in more detail the Operational Risks coming out of Covid-19 and into the recovery phase and would like a discussion with AA outside of EB.

JM moved on to resources and linked it to the precept money where flexibility is to be considered due to underspend. Have the chance to work with the Home Office and Downing Street on DA work so an opportunity for AA to consider.

JM would like to see where the efficiency and productivity gains translate into cash. Asked if MP and AA can create model for potential savings which LW added it would be helpful to also capture cashable /non cashable costs as well as technological costs. JM added she sees an increase in additional costs in virtual courts, which could be substantial.

PC asked about DA & Courts and how NYP are making sure CPS and court systems are ready to receive demands because he has concerns when court system is back up and running there won’t be time available to deal with additional demand. JM agreed and shared concerns. National negotiations with MOJ currently taking place on how to get details of decisions being made.

Most staff WFH and RW said they are looking at reduction of physical presence on estate. Challenge going forward is recognising we’ve been designed to work in offices, but recent circumstances have changed this, meaning new skills will be required for managers/line managers to sustain in the long run.

RW continued one of the important factors of change is engagement which Enable are looking internally and externally for examples of good practice to learn from.

Need to also consider that Public Sector Finances are going to be under extreme pressure in recovery which will present both risks and opportunities.

JM brought up the ‘Mobile Working Project’ and would it be worth doing for the organisation. RW confirmed looking into this and will bring model to EB in October 2020.

MP asked if a ‘Staff Engagement Survey’ is planned to gather overall staff view/ experience from WFH. RW confirmed plan to do survey over next couple of weeks to cover everyone and to bring the Staff Engagement Survey results back to EB in September 2020.

Paid Allowance for WFH – MP said there is interest for employers to pay a monthly home working allowance (£26 pppm) to staff.

MP said need collective view across estate on this so don’t have different views communicated across the organisation/externally. JM asked if RW and MP could investigate this.

SD added this is on the agenda to discuss with Chief Execs regionally this afternoon. He will provide board members with a holding position note after the meeting. RW asked if SD can link in with Claire Lister – People Services.

MP provided a verbal briefing to support paper issued to board members prior to meeting. MC also welcomed by JM to EB as a new member.

Confirmed there was £815k underspend which is earmarked for future use.

Now at point where organisation can push forward developments for 2020/2021.

Look into future assessments and surveys around neighbourhood policing and whether it’s addressed any issues which is suggested in the report.

JM thinks need to regroup on this, addressed SC regarding the cost of £95k MATAC in report. SC confirmed offer from the Home Office for additional funding.

JM revealed have been approached for a new Perpetrator Programme on Domestic Homicide, so if get the extra money from the Home Office can it be flexible?  MP confirmed should be but need to consider what the short, medium and long terms are.

JM mentioned Out of Court Disposals and asked MP and SC to be aware of this when reassessing and working with AA.

JM asked MP about recent Policing Minister Letter. MP confirmed seen the letter and believes they are flexible in use of Uplift Grant but are not committing to extra money for policing.

SD suggested to focus on engagement with P&C Panel on this issue outside of EB meeting at a future chief’s catch up, which JM agreed.

Force Control Room Brief update by RW

·        Telephony upgrades and tender evaluations taking place next week.

·        Agreeing contract extension for Command-and-Control System which will be sent to SD for review.

·        Final contract agreements on integrated communication control systems, automatic vehicle and personal location tracking systems in progress.

·        All workspaces to be upgraded to Windows10 before the end of the calendar year.

AB explained the work NYFRS will be focussing on over the next 16 months which is their new Risk and Resource Model (RRM), Monthly updates on the model will be provided at EB Meetings going forward.

The RMM must include up to date analysis of foreseeable risks – which are key to future work on developing a new plan. The plan is to cover a minimum of a three-year period which NYFRS has extended to four years to include the PFCC election cycle.

AB mentioned “Ambition 2025” which he has produced and will discuss with the heads of function at Enable and at the next joint leadership day between Fire and Police. Ambition 2025 sets out three opportunities: investing to save and modernise capabilities; improving availability of on call fire fighters, and maximising value out of all staff. AB confirmed these three opportunities are now clear projects within the new RRM plan.

AB said they are working closely with Enable who are helping to see what resources are needed. (RW, ME and Phil Wild (PW) are all involved and fully engaged on this.) This work will help them ahead of next EB when the board will receive the Programme Initiation Document and Resource Plan.

AB then shared slides on RRM model timeline which he will circulate after the meeting.

JM requested the new PFCC election is incorporated into RRM timeline, they must be aware of political challenges (purdah) around formal consultations.

MP enquired how on call availability has been due to Covid 19 and if there had been a reduction in demand? AB confirmed availability has improved – up to 95% from 82% available with 46/46 engines available even at night.

Amended minutes to be accurate 26.05.2020

North Yorkshire Household Waste and Recycling Centres – JM said the Government want county councils to reopen centres, even though county councils don’t want to open.

JM asked AB if NYFRS has been included in the debate. JF confirmed they haven’t had any formal request to date.

JM asked if they could provide a report on some of the instances they are seeing and volumes and send over to her to pass on to the executive County Council for discussion.

RW explained a lot of development work has gone into the following protocols around People, Finance and Governance and they will continue to develop when rules are discovered and identified due to the current new way of working.

To conclude, RW made attendees aware when they arrive at EB they are a starting point and should not be considered as determined Protocols.

Funding Correspondence – MP provided update that government announced a total of £3.2 billion to local governments. Within that allocation some funding has come to NYFRS being given a total of £723k ‘Covid Funding’. MP made everyone aware with the money not being ringed fenced, there are several areas this money could be spent and should be discussed.

Stephen Greenhalgh – JM mentioned to AB that she is arranging a call with Minister Stephen Greenhalgh and asked AB to update document ahead of meeting.

Exercise Bianco – AB and SC exploring strategy and communications if this should arise and would be sitting in on calls regarding this exercise later this afternoon.

Newby Wiske – JM, SD, SC, WN, RW, and JW to discuss straight after EB Meeting.