Councillor Brian Kenny, who was due to be Chair of the meeting, gave his apologies, therefore Monitoring Officer, Ria Groves, asked for a nomination of Chair. Councillor Linda Maloney nominated Councillor Les Byrom, which was seconded by Councillor Sue Murphy.

To consider any apologies for absence.

Apologies received from Councillors Kenny, Knight, Lamb and Grace.

To consider any Member declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest at this meeting.

The Minutes of the Previous Meeting, held on 30^th January 2024, are submitted for approval as a correct record and for signature by the Committee Chair.

RESOLVED that the public and private minutes of the previous meeting held on 30^th January 2024 were agreed as an accurate record with an amendment to minute number 11; Bonfire Report 2023, paragraph 15 to clarify that the derelict building being referenced was the current Pontins site.

To consider the Draft MFRA People Plan (CFO/20/24).

Chief Fire Officer, Phil Garrigan, introduced the report noting that the draft People Plan 2024-2027 had been produced and was subject to six weeks consultation with key stakeholders, colleagues and representative bodies. He noted that people and culture was at the forefront of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s (MFRA) work. It was explained that the People Plan described how the Authority would utilise their people across the organisation to deliver the current Integrated Risk Management Plan and any future Community Risk Management Plan and other relevant strategies to ensure the safety of the public. The Chief Fire Officer added that he had recently communicated to all staff that the Service had recorded the lowest number of accidental dwelling fires and fire deaths that Merseyside had ever had, which was a testament to the Authority’s people. The Plan also detailed how the Authority aims to act, treat people and behave as an organisation to create inclusivity and a sense of belonging in all departments across the Service.

The People Plan detailed the Core Code of Ethics which had been introduced nationally. The Chief Fire Officer explained that as part of the six-week consultation, there would be direct links to the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan and the Cultural Transformation Plan which reflected the ambitions of the Service.

The report summarised the leadership message and how the Authority aspired to be the best Fire and Rescue Service in the UK. The Code of Conduct explained the grounds rules around inclusivity, celebrating differences, tackling any inequalities and what was expected of Authority Members and staff members.

The Chief Fire Officer drew Member’s attention to the Authority’s equality, diversity and inclusion objectives. He noted that the five objectives had remained consistent over the years, however, there was a slight change in objective four based on the views of staff and Members. This was in relation to strengthening the Services cultural confidence to ensure that staff were aware of the diverse communities of Merseyside. Whilst acknowledging that this was not within the Authority’s control, Councillor Les Byrom noted that the goal was for the Authority to be representative of the population of Merseyside.

Councillor Linda Maloney commented that the statement on page 17 stood out to her. In particular, she made reference to the following wording – ‘I don’t want us to measure ourselves on the performance of others, I want us to create our own culture, one which instils a real sense of belonging’. She commended The Authority on always being at the forefront of this issue. The Chief Fire Officer mentioned that in his 34 years in the Service, he had never seen the Authority deliver a more effective service to the public and the people who work within it. He added that there was still work to do and reassured Members that the People Plan was their commitment to do that.

Members were reminded that Bystander Training would be delivered on 25^th April 2024 to encourage Members to speak  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.