We:

• Ensure Members, employees and volunteers behave with integrity and act in the public interest in line with the Seven Principles of Public Life (the Nolan Principles).
• Set out clearly the ethics, values and behaviour standards and procedures expected of Members, employees and volunteers and officers, and take action where they are not met.
• Ensure, as far as possible, that suppliers, external service providers and partners adhere to these standards when delivering services on our behalf.
• Ensure adherence to laws and regulations and make proportionate use of the legal powers available to us to deliver our services.
• Ensure that employees are able to fulfil their responsibilities in accordance with statutory provisions.
• Establish arrangements for dealing with any breaches of law, corruption or misuse of power
   

We:

• Set out the standards of behaviour expected of Members, employees, volunteers, employees and suppliers working with and for us.
• Have processes in place for reporting and investigating allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
• Have processes in place for dealing with breaches of the Members’ and employees’ code of conduct.
• Select our suppliers and partners carefully and ensure they are aware of and comply with the behaviour and standards we expect when working with us.
• Have arrangements for identifying and considering the impact of current and new legislation and regulation affecting our work.
• Have arrangements in place for deterring, detecting and investigating fraud, corruption, bribery and unethical practices, and for addressing cases where unacceptable practices are found.
   

We publish on our website: 

• Our Code of Ethical Conduct for Employees, Code of Conduct for Members, Code of Ethics for Senior Managers, and our Suppliers’ Code of Conduct.
• How to contact us if you are unhappy with our services or the behaviour of our employees, or if you suspect fraud or corruption within the Authority.
• Our contracts register listing our current suppliers, value and duration of contracts.
• Information about our policies relating to fraud, corruption and modern slavery.
• A modern slavery and transparency in supply chains statement.
• Our Speak Up Policy and accompanying guidance, including on whistleblowing (available upon request).

We:

• Provide a simple and accessible process for engaging with, and seeking information from us about our decisions, services and plans.
• Provide evidence and justification for our decisions and policies and make this information available.
• Engage and consult with communities and customers (internal and external) to ensure significant proposals for change are communicated and customers’ views taken into account.
• Provide a simple process to encourage feedback from customers and consider this in our decision making.
• Establish collaborative working arrangements for service delivery where a good business case exists.
• Consider the impact on community risk when taking decisions on delivery of services.

We:

• Provide easily accessible means for contacting us via a range of methods including electronic and non-electronic methods.
• Comply with freedom of information legislation and publish frequently requested and statutory information on our website.
• Actively seek and consider feedback from customers, employees and partners about our plans and performance.
• Actively seek opportunities to work collaboratively with appropriate partners where it makes sense to do so.
• Publish information and data to support and validate our plans and objectives.
• Endeavour to ensure that our decisions are deliverable and sustainable for the medium to long term.
   

We publish on our website:

• Details of how you can engage with us about the development of services and comment on our plans and proposals.
• Information frequently requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000
• Information required by the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 and Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017.
• Guidance on how to make a freedom of information request or subject access request and how long it will take to process.
• A suite of privacy notices setting out the personal data we collect in order to provide our services, the lawful bases for collecting data, and how long we retain data for.
• Information and data to support our plans proposals and decisions.
• Our Customer Promise, which sets out what customers are entitled to expect from us.

We:

• Set out our vision and aim for the Service, along with our plan and strategies.
• Provide updates on our progress in delivering our vision and aim.
• Identify and manage, as far as practicable, the key risks and threats to the achievement of our objectives.
• Ensure that our objectives are deliverable and sustainable with the resources available.
• Balance social, economic and environmental impacts in our decision making.
• Aim to design our services so they are tailored to meet all our customers’ needs and are accessible to everyone.
• Act transparently in presenting our decisions related to our vision and aim.

We:

1. Publish our plans and strategies for the Service.
2. Publish updates on progress in delivering our targets and meeting our strategies.
3. Identify and manage the key strategic risks to the delivery of our strategies.
4. Identify the risks from fires and other emergencies and have appropriate plans to manage these risks.
5. Set out our approach and strategy to equality, diversity and inclusion and apply this to our dealings with our customers.
6. Manage our resources effectively to deliver optimum value and benefit for our customers.

We publish on our website:

• Details of our proposed plans and strategies and how you can feedback comments and suggestions on these.
• Responses to consultations that we run.
• Our vision and aim, and what we want to achieve across the areas of operational excellence, inclusion, wellbeing, and efficiency and value for money.
• Information and campaigns to help you stay safe in the home and protect yourself from fire and other risks.
• Our Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), associated risk analysis and assessment and strategic priorities.
• Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan.
• Our external auditor’s assessment of our accounts and the value for money we provide.

We:

• Open our performance and decisions to scrutiny by the democratically elected Members of the Fire Authority
• Consider any feedback from customers in assessing options for service change.
• Put in place a robust planning process that considers aims, resources and capacity and takes all other relevant factors into account.
• Produce a sustainable budget and financial plan to support our plans and objectives over the medium term.
• Consider the use of collaborative working as a means of delivering services where appropriate service improvements can be realised.
   

We:

• Consider the various options available for all our plans and objectives and explain the rationale for our decisions in publicly available documents.
• Actively seek and consider feedback and input from customers as part of our consultation and options appraisal process.
• Put in place effective project and programme management arrangements, operated by skilled and experienced employees to optimise the chances of successful delivery.
• Produce and publish a Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) that supports our plans and objectives and identifies the resources needed to deliver these.
• Demonstrate the financial sustainability and affordability of our plans.
• Actively seek to work collaboratively with partners where appropriate.
   

We publish on our website:

• Our CRMP delivery plan for 2025 to 2029 sets out the strategic priorities and actions required to address the risks and strategic challenges.
• Updates on the progress in achieving strategic priorities.
• How you can get involved in any consultation exercises we run about the development of our plans.
• Our responses to consultations we run.
• Our Budget Book, Medium Term Financial Plan, and financial strategies (Treasury Strategy, Capital Strategy, Reserves Strategy).
   

We:

• Regularly review the Authority’s activities and processes, to ensure they remain effective and fit for purpose.
• Engage with external partners where appropriate and beneficial to do so.
• Develop workforce and people plans that ensures sufficient employees with the necessary skills and knowledge are in place when needed.
• Put in place arrangements for managing the relationship between Members and officers, including clear written delegations to officers.
• Ensure Members and employees have the skills, knowledge, resources and support to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.
• Monitor and manage the performance of Members and employees in their roles.
• Support employees in managing their health and wellbeing.

We:

• Set out in our plans, the risks, issues and factors we face and our plans to address them.
• Develop workforce and people plans that set out our employee establishment requirements and plans for developing and training the workforce.
• Develop processes for working in collaboration with key partners and suppliers to deliver more effective services.
• Set out the constitutional documents of the Authority including arrangements for managing the relationship between Members and officers and the powers delegated to the Chief Executive.
• Provide all employees with constructive feedback on performance and opportunities for development and training needs.
• Provide access to effective training and development opportunities to help colleagues maintain and increase relevant role-related knowledge and skills.
• Put in place arrangements to assist employees manage their own health and wellbeing effectively and provide access to support and assistance when problems are experienced.

We publish on our website:

• Our aim, vision and objectives, and what we want to achieve across the areas of operational excellence, inclusion, wellbeing, and efficiency and value for money.
• Our future plans for the development of our services.
• Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan.
• Our Gender Pay Gap Report
• Our equal pay review
• Our constitutional documents, comprising: The Kent Fire Services Order, the Standing Orders, the Committee Terms of Reference, Scheme of Delegation of powers of the Chief Executive, Convention on Member and Officer Relations, our Code of Corporate Governance.
   

We:

• Ensure risks are identified and managed effectively.
• Publish regular reports on performance and progress in delivering our objectives.
• Encourage robust challenge and engagement in developing our plans and objectives.
• Objectively assess the outcomes of plans and policies and address any deficiencies.
• Implement and monitor strong governance arrangements that ensure our objectives and policies are delivered and threats and losses are minimised.
• Ensure data, including personal data held, is secured, used and shared in accordance with the law and good practice.
• Ensure that financial resources are protected and used effectively including arrangements to prevent fraud and corruption.
   

We:

• Put in place, arrangements for identifying, assessing and managing the risks to the delivery of services and the achievement of objectives.
• Where appropriate to do so, consult with customers and partners on our intended plans and projects.
• Monitor and review the success of our plans and strategies to ensure delivery of planned outcomes.
• Maintain effective controls and systems to ensure the effective use of resources, the achievement of our plans and projects, and strong stewardship of the Authority including measures to prevent and detect fraud, crime, corruption, bribery and modern slavery.
• Maintain effective arrangements for the secure storage, use and sharing of personal data we hold in connection with the delivery of services.
• Ensure compliance with the relevant codes and highest standards of financial management to protect resources, ensure value for money and prevent losses and errors in accounting.
   

We publish on our website:

• Key strategic risks and our plans to manage these.
• Information about how we profile risk and the customer risk profile for Kent and Medway.
• Our Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and associated risk analysis.
• Details of our proposed plans and strategies and how you can feedback comments and suggestions on these.
• Responses to consultations that we run.
• Our aim, vision and objectives, and what we want to achieve across the areas of operational excellence, inclusion, wellbeing, and efficiency and value for money.
• An annual assessment of the systems and controls that ensure strong governance arrangements are in place across the Authority (the Annual Governance Statement).
• An annual assessment of our performance against the requirements of the Fire and Rescue National Framework (Statement of Assurance).
• Regular financial reports on the performance in delivering our budget.
• Our annual audit reports on our statement of accounts undertaken by our external auditors.
• An annual report and mid-year progress report on the outcomes of internal audits.
• A modern slavery and transparency in supply chains statement.
• Our Anti-Fraud and Corruption Framework and information relating to fraud transparency.
   

We:

• Operate an effective audit and review function that provides assurance on the effectiveness of controls and ensure that recommendations are implemented promptly.
• Publish statutory and commonly requested information on our website and put in place arrangements to enable easy access to other information requested.
• Encourage partners to adopt high standards of governance and transparency in their dealings with us.
• Publish an annual assessment of our governance arrangements and compliance with the Fire and Rescue National Framework.
• Ensure that statutory officers and the Head of Internal Audit have unfettered access to Members and are free to comment on policies and plans objectively.
   

We:

• Maintain an effective internal and external audit process and ensure auditors have free access to decision makers, including elected Fire Authority Members.
• Comply with the requirements to publish information on our website and include other commonly requested information and data.
• Establish a simple way of contacting us to request further information, data or assistance including receiving and responding to freedom of information requests and subject access requests.
• Support and encourage our partners to establish strong governance and control processes and support us in providing access to information and data in a timely manner.
• Regularly review our governance arrangements, taking into account external and internal assessments, and publish our results of these reviews.
• Enable the Section 151 officer, Monitoring Officer and Head of Audit to undertake their statutory and regulatory roles unhindered and report direct to members when necessary.
   

We publish on our website:

• Annual reports from our internal and external auditors.
• Mid-year internal audit updates and forthcoming internal audit plans.
• Reports from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS)
• Information required by the Local Government Transparency Code 2015 and Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017.
• Guidance on how to make a freedom of information request or subject access request and how long it we will take to process it.
• An annual assessment of the systems and controls that ensure strong governance of the Authority (Annual Governance Statement).
• An annual assessment of our operational performance against the requirements of the Fire and Rescue National Framework (Statement of Assurance).