4 November 2010

Members are asked to agree the minutes, marked 3, of the Annual Fire Authority meeting, held on 21 July 2010, and that they be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

Attachment	Size
03 - Fire Authority Minutes - 21 July 2010.pdf	60.24 KB

Members are asked to receive and note the minutes, marked 5, of the Standards Committee meeting, held on 12 July 2010.

Attachment	Size
05 - Standards Minutes - 12 July 2010.pdf	26.79 KB

Members are asked to receive the minutes, attached marked 7, of the Strategy and Resources Committee meeting, held on 23 September 2010, and consider the recommendations at item 10, which are given below. The report relating to these recommendations is attached, marked 7a.

a) Approve budget allocation into new directorates for budget control purposes;
b) Note the position of the revenue budget;
c) Approve virements to the revenue budget where requested;
d) Note the position on the capital programme, and approve a supplementary vote of £15,000 for appliance replacement, and other variations;
e) Note performance against prudential indicators for 2009/10;
f) Note performance against prudential indicators to date in 2010/11, approving any proposed amendments;
g) Note the annual review of treasury activities for 2009/10;
h) Note performance in Treasury Management to date in 2010/11; and
i) Note the information provided on balance sheet items.

Attachment	Size
07 - Strategy and Resources Minutes - 23 September 2010.pdf	44.32 KB
07a - Financial Performance to July 2010, incl Annual Treasury Report 2009-10.pdf	133.72 KB

Members are asked to receive the minutes, marked 9, of the West Midlands Regional Management Board meeting, held on 25 August 2010, and consider the recommendation at item 6/10:
That the Fire Authority agree to dissolve the West Midlands Regional Management Board and that it give delegated powers to its Chief Fire Officer, in consultation with its Chair, to take all necessary steps to achieve the dissolution of the West Midlands Regional Management Board at the earliest practical date, subject to the approval of the Secretary of State

Attachment	Size
09 - WMRMB Minutes - 25 August 2010.pdf	182.38 KB

The purpose of this report, marked 10a, is for Members to receive and note the amendments to the Scheme of Delegation to Officers and Standing Orders, which were agreed at, and stand adjourned from, the Annual Meeting of the Fire Authority.

The Fire Authority is requested to receive and note the amendments to the Fire Authority’s Scheme of Delegation to Officers and to its Standing Orders (set out at paragraphs 3, 4, 5 and 6 of this report), which stand adjourned from the Annual Meeting of the Fire Authority, held in July 2010.

Attachment	Size
10a - Review of Scheme of Delegation to Officers and of Standing Orders.pdf	35.44 KB

Members will have already received information from the Chief Fire Officer following the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review, announced on 20 October 2010. Officers are currently analysing the detail of the announcement and will update Members with any further information at the Fire Authority meeting.

This report, marked 13, requests Members to consider and adopt the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy for the Fire Authority, following the annual review conducted by officers.

The Fire Authority is asked to consider and adopt the Anti Fraud and Corruption Strategy, which is attached as an appendix.

Attachment	Size
13 - Anti Fraud and Corruption Strategy.pdf	90.72 KB

Contrary to expectations, the FiReControl Project was not mentioned in the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement on 20 October. Fire authorities within the West Midlands region have been advised (via the Regional Control Centre) that Ministers are keeping in close touch with the project and there are ongoing discussions with the main contractor, EADS (now trading as Cassidian) regarding concerns about delivery of the project.

Ministers believe that the contractor should have the opportunity to deliver the contract to time, cost and quality; but there will be no additional funding to ‘bail out the contract’. The key milestone date for contractual deliverables is June 2011. All non-committed expenditure in implementation funding to joint project teams around the country has been cut by 11 percent (the grant to this Fire Authority has been reduced by 5.2 percent).

Members are asked to consider a resolution under section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 that the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined by the provisions of Part I of Schedule 12(A) to the Act, by virtue of Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3.