To consider the annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion report for 2023/24 (CFO/58/24).

Councillor Grace, Lead Member for People, introduced the report commenting that Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were ‘streets ahead’ in terms of equality, diversity and inclusion. She noted that the Authority was not being complacent in its actions and that the Service was a welcoming place for anyone who wanted to excel.

The report showed the Authority’s performance against its equality, diversity and inclusion objectives for 2021-24 and demonstrated its commitment to meeting its equality duties. Members attention was drawn to the People Plan and the Cultural Action Plan which included further information on the work being undertaken by the Authority.

The Chief advised that external visitors to the TDA had recently commented on how welcoming the Service was and the Chief attributed this to the efforts made to create an environment where people felt like the belonged.

Members attention was drawn to page 352 of the agenda which provided an executive summary of the total work force noting that MFRA had more female firefighters (81) than the national average. It was explained that 22 of those individuals were in Crew or Watch Manager roles and it was hoped would progress to more senior positions during their career.

Sexual orientation was also broken down in the report with 55% of staff feeling comfortable in expressing their orientation without judgement. 

The number of ethnic minority staff in the Service had also increased to 66 which was a positive move in ensuring that the Service reflected the communities of Merseyside.

With regards to pay gaps, it was noted that the gender pay gap had dropped from 9.1% to 8.4% (which was lower than others in the sector) and the ethnicity pay gap now stood at 6.1%.

The report also provided a breakdown of data relating to the discipline and grievance procedure.

Councillor Bell welcomed the report, in particular the in-depth analysis provided in relation to gender statistics. Councillor Bell asked if there were any concerns for underreporting, particularly in the figures relating to grievances from female employees. She asked if the Authority had an outcomes-based approach to reporting, particularly when it came to the ‘Safe Call’ line.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that trust and confidence in the process was instilled when staff could see their concerns were being taken seriously and dealt with effectively. The Authority was currently working towards implementing ‘just culture’ arrangements, wherein relatively low-level incidents could be dealt with informally. Members were assured that if people’s behaviour was abhorrent, then that would be dealt with formally through the established discipline and grievance procedures and it was felt that the staff understood how seriously their concerns were taken. With regards to the ‘Safe Call’ reporting line it was felt that this had not been as effective as the Authority would have hoped and that was being worked on with the Director of People and Organisational Development, Nick Mernock.

Nick Mernock explained that HMI had voiced a desire for an independent reporting line for Authorities but that its utilisation at MFRA had been minimal. Members were advised that this had been fedback to the company and Nick Mernock was due to meet with the Manging Director in a few weeks with a view to help improve the system and make it more effective. It was felt that a ‘talking heads’ promo to explain its purpose to staff would help to address people’s misconceptions. In circumstances where people did not feel comfortable reporting an issue, it was hoped that ‘just culture’ arrangements would help staff to resolve low level problems quickly and effectively.

Councillor Makinson welcomed the fantastic progress that the Authority had made over the last few years to have a Fire and Rescue Service that was reflective of the people it serves. It was noted that the number of ethnic minority staff was in line with the demographic of the county and that great progress has been made in regard to recruiting more female firefighters. It was queried whether the Authority had considered its representation of ethnic minority women. The Chief Fire Officer explained that there was the potential to provide intersectional information and it could be considered for future reports.

With regards to the data captured in the report, Councillor Gorst asked if the Authority had any transgender staff and Members were advised that if there was a sensitive way to reflect that data then it would be considered.

RESOLVED that:

a)             the contents of the report be noted;

b)             the ED&I Annual Report for publication on the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) website to demonstrate MFRA’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and how MFRA has met its Public Sector Equality Duty by approved; and

c)             the Equality Analysis – Workforce and Employment Data, 1^st April 2023 to 31^st March 2024 Report for publication on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) website in order to demonstrate MFRA’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and how it has met its Public Sector Equality Duty be approved