Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

We received apologies from Cllr Harrison and Cllr Lucioni.

Cllr Madgwick attended as a substitute.

To enable Members to disclose to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest they may have in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest is not already entered in the Authority’s register of interests, and any other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests in any such matter that Members may wish to disclose.

Members were mindful of their duty to disclose at the meeting any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest they had in any matter on the agenda for the meeting, where that interest was not already in the Authority’s register of interests, and their ability to disclose any other personal interests in any such matter that they might have wished to disclose.

No declarations were made.

To confirm the minutes of the previous meeting

The minutes of the 25 July 2024 meeting were reviewed and agreed.

Pursuant to Standing Order 19, to receive any deputations to this meeting

There were no deputations for the meeting.

To receive any announcements the Chairman may wish to make.

The Chairman expressed gratitude to Steve Polly, Head of Policy and Risk, for his dedicated service over the past few years and extended the Committee’s best wishes for his new role.

Additionally, the Chairman acknowledged the recent Internal Audit role changes. 

The Chairman also commended Catherine Edgecombe, Chief Financial Officer, and Rob Sarfas, Deputy Chief Financial Officer for their significant contributions with respect to the Authority’s Statement of Accounts.

To consider a report from the Chief Financial Officer, which seeks approval for the unaudited Statement of Accounts for 2023/24 and also provides an update on the 2022/23 accounts and audit position.

The Committee reviewed a report from the Chief Financial Officer (item 6 in the minute book) concerning the Statements of Accounts for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

The Deputy Chief Financial Officer summarised the report, noting that the 2022/23 accounts had undergone a few minor changes since the Committee’s last review under the delegation granted to the Chief Financial Officer.

An update on the national audit backlog was provided, with the Committee informed of ongoing regular contact with Ernst & Young and agreement with their approach. A Spring consultation led to recommendations, and new legislation from Parliament was expected to take effect by 30 September 2024. This legislation would introduce backstop dates, eliminating indefinite delays by requiring accounts to be published with an audit opinion by the backstop dates regardless of whether or not the auditor had been able to complete all of their audit work by that date. In the short term this was likely to lead to many disclaimed local authority audit opinions across the country as part of the ‘resetting’ of the local audit market.

The 2022/23 accounts would receive a disclaimed opinion, attributed to the audit backlog rather than any fault of the Authority. Similarly, the 2023/24 period was expected to receive a disclaimed opinion due to the incomplete audit from the previous year, with the possibility of this recurring next year.

The Chief Financial Officer signed off the draft 2023/24 accounts by the end of May 2024, in preparation for the period of public inspection. Following this period, regulations required the committee to receive and approve the accounts.

The Committee discussed enhancing public outreach during the inspection period, beyond publishing the accounts on the website. They were informed of planned consultation and engagement related to the Safety Plan for 2025-2030, which included a public outreach strategy with focus groups which is coming to the next Full Authority meeting. The Chairman suggested distributing the narrative report accompanying the Accounts to all employees, praising it as an excellent document.

The Committee commended the team for their report and the accounts, noting its clarity and readability.

RESOLVED

·         The unaudited Statement of Accounts for 2023/24 were approved by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

·         The delegation of authority to the Chief Financial Officer to approve minor changes to the 2023/24 accounts as agreed between the Authority and the external auditor prior to the issue of the audited Statement of Accounts was approved by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

·         The reasons why the audit of the 2023/24 accounts has not been completed and the need to publish a statement on the Authority’s website were noted by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

·         The update on the 2022/23 Statement of Accounts was noted by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

·         The delegation to the Chief Financial Officer in consultation with the Chairman of the Standards and Governance Committee to approve the finalised version of the 2022/23 accounts to include the audit opinion when this is received from the external auditor to allow the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 146.

To consider a report from the Chief Fire Officer, which asks the Committee to approve the Annual Assurance Statement 2023/2024.

The Committee reviewed a report from the Chief Fire Officer (item 7 in the minute book) regarding the Annual Assurance Statement for 2023/2024.

The Head of Governance and Assurance informed the Committee that the report template had been updated to better align with the Corporate Identity, resulting in a different appearance from previous versions. All links within the report have been verified as accurate and functional. The Committee commended the report, noting its excellent presentation and comprehensive statistics and details. Councillor Drew requested a brief summary be prepared for Members to share with their Constituents, as he believes they would find the report’s content very interesting. The Deputy Chief Fire officer agreed to review the request in respect to all annual assurance statements as they are next produced.

The Committee discussed the high incidence of false alarms, noting that approximately 70% are triggered by automatic systems malfunctioning. The Deputy Chief Fire Officer agreed that it would be beneficial to analyse the geographic and industry sectors most frequently responsible for false alarms, with the aim of educating them on the importance of proper maintenance and servicing of their equipment to reduce unnecessary callouts.

RESOLVED

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service Annual Assurance Statement 2023/2024 were approved by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

To receive a report from the Internal Auditor, which provides Committee with an overview of internal audit work completed and the status of ‘live’ reports.

The Committee received a report from the Internal Auditor (item 8 in the minute book) on the Internal Audit Progress for 2024/2025.

The Committee was informed that progress is behind schedule due to staff changes and the challenges of the holiday period in the second quarter. However, progress is expected to pick up over the coming quarters. All work for the first and second quarters was currently underway and well-managed.

Members were also updated that the rolling work programme was regularly reviewed and updated based on the risk register.

RESOLVED

The progress in delivering the internal audit plan for 2024/25 and the

outcomes to date were noted by the HIWFRA Standards and Governance

Committee

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To receive a report from the Chief Fire Officer, which provides a summary of agreed audit management actions that have not been completed.

The Committee received a report from the Chief Fire Officer (item 9 in the minute book) on the Audit Management Actions Progress.

The report was summarised, and Members were informed that all actions were on track for completion by their target dates.

RESOLVED

The progress made towards the implementation of the internal audit

management actions and the delivery of the audit plan were noted by the

HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

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To receive a report from the Chief Fire Officer, which provides Members with an assurance update on the service’s progress in adopting, complying with and embedding Fire Standards within the service and also on the progress being made against the His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Areas for Improvement (AFIs).

The Committee received a report from the Chief Fire Officer (item 10 in the minute book) on the progress of Fire Standards and HMICFRS Areas for Improvement.

The report was summarised, and Members were informed of two new fire standards: Procurement and Commercial, and Digital and Cyber. It was noted that all items marked in green were complete, while those in amber or red were expected to be completed by the end of March. The service had shown great engagement, and the framework is valuable.

Members were advised that the inspection was scheduled for 20 January 2025. All but three open Areas for Improvement with deadlines of December 2024 are expected to be completed by this date, with significant progress on the remaining three ensuring no issues. Many Areas for Improvement (AFI) lead on to long term ambitions. As long as a clear plan is presented to HMI, there is confidence that the AFI can be closed.

A mapping exercise was underway to map Fire Standards to HMICFRS diagnostics. This information is being shared with other fire services to ensure collaborative working.

Members would receive another update in six months, following the inspection, with an interim update at the next meeting.

RESOLVED

The HMICFRS AFIs and Fire Standards update report were noted by the

HIWFRA Standards and Governance Committee.

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To receive a report from the Chief Fire Officer, which summarises the risks identified and captured in the Service’s Organisational Risk Register.

The Committee received a report from the Chief Fire Officer (item 11 in the minute book) on the Organisational Risk Register.

Members were provided with a summary of the report and informed about a cyber-attack exercise conducted in August, which allowed for testing and adjustments of protocols. They also learned about a recent cyber-attack on the service, where the quick activation of protocols ensured there was no breach.

Members also learned that in the event of an IT failure, there was a backup control room available. All fire engines were also equipped with paper maps and radios, which were regularly tested to ensure readiness.

RESOLVED

The risks identified and captured in the Service’s Organisational Risk Register were noted by the Standards and Governance Committee.