Kent Fire and Rescue Service
Annual Governance Statement 2018/19

7.1. Inspection

All fire and rescue authorities must cooperate with the inspectorate and its inspectors to enable them to deliver their statutory function. This includes providing relevant data and information to inform inspections. The Home Office and HMICFRS will work together to align data and information collections where possible to avoid duplication. Fire and rescue authorities must give due regard to reports and recommendations made by HMICFRS and – if recommendations are made – prepare, update and regularly publish an action plan detailing how the recommendations are being actioned.

 

How to we meet these requirements?

• On 21 December 2018, the results from the first tranche of inspections of fire and rescue services were published by HMICFRS. HMICFRS has inspected 14 fire and rescue services as part of the first tranche. 

• The Authority has now had its inspection. On 7 January 2019, the Chief Executive provided representatives of HMICFRS with a strategic briefing, highlighting the work the Authority has progressed over the last ten years, and what it plans to do next. This was then followed up by the HMICFRS with an intensive programme of visits and interviews between 14 and 18 January involving ten inspectors, and overall around 15% of the total workforce being visited in some capacity across the whole of the process. The outcomes of tranche 2 will be published in the early summer.

 

Where do we get assurance from?

• As soon as they become publically available, the outcomes of the inspection of KFRS will be published by the Authority. 

 

 

7.2. Intervention

Section 22 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 gives powers to the Secretary of State to intervene should a fire and rescue authority fail, or be likely to fail, to act in accordance with this Framework. 

 

How to we meet these requirements?

• The Authority is not in this position, therefore this section is not relevant in this context. 

 

 

7.3. Accountability

Fire and rescue authorities are expected to have governance and accountability arrangements in place covering issues such as financial management and transparency, complaints and discipline arrangements, and compliance with the seven principles of public life. In demonstrating their accountability to communities for the service they provide, fire and rescue authorities need to:

• be transparent and accountable to their communities for their decisions and actions;
• provide the opportunity for communities to help to plan their local service through effective consultation and involvement; and
• have scrutiny arrangements in place that reflect the high standard communities expect for an important public safety service. 

 

How to we meet these requirements?

• Our Governance documents set out how the Authority operates, how decisions are made, and the rules and procedures governing Authority meetings and decision-taking. This contains the following documents:
  • The Kent Fire Services Order
  • Standing orders
  • Committee Terms of Reference
  • Members' code of conduct
  • Scheme of delegation of powers to the Chief Executive
  • Convention on Member and officer relations
  • Corporate governance
• We publish a full range of financial information about the Authority. This includes our statement of accounts, medium term financial plan and monthly spend reports.
• For April 2019 onwards, the Customer and Corporate Plan has been updated and refreshed. It is now titled the customer and Corporate Plan 2019-23. The plan itself is structured in a customer-facing way around safety at home, safety on the roads, community resilience, business safety and operations and underpinning the plan is a set of eight 
  strategies. 
• The Authority publishes a Safety and Wellbeing Plan in order to consult on the services required to meet future needs. The priorities within this are developed following an assessment of risks across the county.
• Following the publication of updated guidance by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), the Authority published a revised Code of Corporate Governance in November 2016. The Code sets out the seven key principles of good governance which the Authority has adopted and the means by which these principles are adhered to and evidenced. 
• The Authority’s Code of Corporate Governance is based upon the ‘CIPFA Principles for Good Governance in the Public Sector’. This adopts the structure of the seven CIPFA and links them to the work of the Authority. 
• We place the utmost importance on holding ourselves to high standards of behaviour and integrity as embodied in the seven (Nolan) principles of public life: 1. Selflessness; 2. Integrity; 3. Objectivity; 4. Accountability; 5. Openness; 6. Honesty; 7. Leadership
• We have a Community Right to Challenge policy. 
• All KMFRA meeting agendas, reports and minutes are published on the website.
• Information about how to feedback and make complaints is published on our website.
   

 

Where do we get assurance from?

• Governance section of our public website which contains the list of governance documents which, where relevant, have all been approved by KMFRA.

• KMFRA approval for the draft Customer and Corporate Plan 2019-23 (including the eight supporting strategies). KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B1).

• In December 2018, KMFRA confirmed that the Customer and Corporate Plan and supporting strategies remain fit for purpose. KMFRA, December 2018 (Item No: B4) 

• KMFRA approval for the Customer and Corporate Plan 2018-2022 and the eight strategies that support its delivery. KMFRA, April 2018 (Item No: B1).

• Safety and Wellbeing Plan update. Outcomes of consultation. KMFRA, February 2019 (Item No C1).

• Safety and Wellbeing Plan – Outcomes of the Consultation and Next Steps. KMFRA, February 2018 (Item No: B1).

• Supporting Information to the Safety and Wellbeing Plan 2018

• Code of Corporate Governance. Approved by KMFRA General Purposes Committee, November 2016 (Item No: B6).

• KFRS Code of Conduct (a copy of this is available on request)

• KMFRA approval for the reviewed Community Right to Challenge policy. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B4).

• Oversight and approval from the Members of the Authority.

• Annual report on customers’ feedback and freedom of information requests. KMFRA, October 2018 (Item No: B5).

• External auditors’ audit findings report for 2017/18. KMFRA, June 2018 (Item No: B7)

• External Audit Plan for 2018/19. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B2).

 

 

7.4. Transparency

Each fire and rescue authority must comply with their statutory transparency requirements. The nature of the requirements is dependent on the legal basis of the authority; for example, combined fire and rescue authorities would be subject to the Local Authority Transparency Code 2015 while PCC FRAs must comply with requirements under section 11 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 and the Elected Local Policing Bodies (Specified Information) Order 2011. All fire and rescue authorities should therefore publish certain information, including: senior salaries; register of interests; staffing; income and expenditure; property; rights and liabilities; and decisions of significant public interest. Fire and rescue authorities must make their communities aware of how they can access data and information on their performance. 

 

How to we meet these requirements?

• The Authority’s transparency policy was reviewed in April 2019.
• We have a Retention and Publication Scheme, which is available to the public.
• We have published a Freedom of Information Policy and associated guidance on the website, including how to make a subject access request.
• Following the enactment of the Data Protection Act 2018, an overall organisation-wide privacy statement has been published. This is supported by a full set of privacy notices.
• We meet the requirements of the Local Government Transparency Code 2015. 
• We publish a register of all property and land currently owned by the Authority.
• We publish a list of all fire stations in Kent and Medway.
• We publish a list of our vehicle fleet. 
• We publish information on senior officers’ pay.
• We report our customers’ feedback and freedom of information requests
  to Members.
• We are compliant with the additional requirements of the 2018 revised Code of Practice for Freedom on Information requests.
• We have a Community Right to Challenge policy which forms part of the government’s Open Public Services agenda.

 

Where do we get assurance from?

• KMFRA approval for the reviewed Transparency Service Order. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B4). 

• KMFRA approval for the updates to the revised Retention and Publication Scheme. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B4).

• KMFRA Approval for the revised Retention and Publication Scheme. KMFRA, October 2018 (Item No: B4).

• KMFRA Approval for the revised Freedom of Information Policy. KMFRA, October 2018 (Item No: B5).

• Privacy section of our website

• Transparency reports of all transactions over £250 are regularly published on the website.

• The Authority publishes on its website all required elements of the Government’s transparency agenda.

• Freedom of Information update. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: C1).

• Annual report on customers’ feedback and freedom of information requests. KMFRA, October 2018 (Item No: B5).

• KMFRA approval for the reviewed Community Right to Challenge policy. KMFRA, April 2019 (Item No: B4)

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