Agenda and minutes

Resolved:- That Councillor Jack Scott from Sheffield City Council be appointed Chairman of the Emergency Planning Shared Services Joint Committee (Rotherham and Sheffield) for the 2014/15 Municipal Year.

(Councillor Scott assumed the Chair)

Resolved:- That Councillor Gerald Smith of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Emergency Planning Shared Services Joint Committee (Rotherham and Sheffield) for the 2014/15 Municipal Year.

Resolved:- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Emergency Planning Shared Services Joint Committee (Rotherham and Sheffield), held on 10^th December, 2013, be approved as a correct record for signature by the Chairman.

• East Coast Inundation

• Training for Elected Members

(1) Minute No. 13 (East Coast Inundation) – the Emergency and Safety Manager provided an update on the arrangements for the emergency planning response in the event of an inundation of the East Coast of the United Kingdom.

(2) Minute No. 14 (Training for Elected Members) – it was noted that training has been provided for Elected Members of Rotherham MBC and will shortly be provided for Elected Members of Sheffield City Council.

Consideration was given to a report presented by the Emergency and Safety Manager, which detailed the 2013/14 financial out-turn for the Emergency Planning Shared Service (Rotherham and Sheffield). The report highlighted the following key issues:-

·                budget over-spending during the 2013/14 financial year;

·                the financial variances contributing to the over-spending;

·                the cumulative balance of the Shared Service, showing an overall under-spending across the last three financial years;

·                the Shared Service is required to make budget savings of 5% during the 2014/2015 financial year.

The report stated that the total cost of the Shared Service is divided between Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council. To ensure that the benefits of this arrangement are realised, the arrangement is underpinned by a minimum five-years contractual agreement between the Sheffield and Rotherham local authorities.

Discussion took place on the budget allocation for the Business Support function, previously provided by Sheffield City Council, which was no longer required. This matter had originally been included within the business case for the Shared Service.

The Joint Committee also considered a report, presented by the Emergency and Safety Manager, detailing the Shared Service budget for the current, 2014/2015 financial year. Members noted that the budget proposals included the use of £10,000, to be brought forward from the balances of previous years’ under-spent amounts.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the Joint Committee agrees that Sheffield City Council’s budget contribution for the 2013/2014 is £225,831 and the funding of the Business Support function at Sheffield City Council shall be allocated as a one-off transaction from the total 2013/14 under-spending amount of the Shared Service budget, as now reported, because this function will no longer be required from Sheffield City Council.

(3) That the cumulative balance of £37,791, within the budget of the Emergency Planning Shared Service (Rotherham and Sheffield), be carried forward from the 2013/14 financial year to the 2014/15 financial year in order to assist in off-setting the budget reductions taking effect from 1^st April, 2014.

(4) That the contents of the 2014/15 Emergency Planning Shared Service budget, as now reported, be noted and the suggested use of £10,000 brought forward from the balances of previous years’ under-spent amounts be approved.

The Emergency and Safety Manager presented the revised Business Plan of the Emergency Planning Shared Service (Rotherham and Sheffield) for the period 2014 to 2016. The document included details of:-

: business planning;

: budget and finance issues;

: staffing of the Shared Service;

: legal issues and governance arrangements;

: resources and accommodation;

: strategic overview – Shared Service vision, mission and values;

: strategic priorities.

Resolved:- That the contents of the Emergency Planning Shared Service revised Business Plan 2014 to 2016, as now submitted, be approved.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by the Senior Emergency Planning Officer, concerning the requirements to review and update the various multi-agency emergency and resilience plans, in accordance with the provisions of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.

The various documents to be reviewed and updated were listed in the report, which included proposals to consolidate the existing resilience and contingency plans, to meet the requirements of the South Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum partner organisations and also Government guidance.

Reference was made to the production of a ‘strategic / first response pack’ to be disseminated to all Borough Emergency Co-ordinators and Duty Chief Officers. Members noted that the review period for various plans and documents may be as long as four years.

Resolved:- (1) That the report be received and its contents noted.

(2) That the proposals for the review and updating of the emergency and resilience plans, as detailed in the report now submitted, be approved, including:-

(a) the ‘strategic / first response pack’ shall be introduced and disseminated to all Borough Emergency Co-ordinators and Duty Chief Officers;  and

(b) the complementary suite of underpinning plans or frameworks shall be maintained.

(3) That the timeline for the review, updating and dissemination, as detailed in the report now submitted, be approved.

Consideration was given to a report, presented by the Emergency and Safety Manager, describing various key issues affecting the development of the Emergency Planning Shared Service in 2014/15 and beyond. The issues highlighted were:-

: the Shared Service concept;

: emergency mortuary arrangements;

: reservoir grant – criteria issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs;

: business continuity management;

: staffing issues affecting the Shared Service;

: emergency planning training and exercises (eg: Exercise Cygnus and Exercise Neptune);

: training for staff of both local authorities;

: issues affecting the Local Resilience Forum partner organisations.

Members noted that the Shared Service concept continues to provide a good level of service to the two local authorities and is engaged in a number of areas to support the civil contingencies provision of both authorities.

Resolved:- That the report be received and its contents noted.

The following item is likely to be considered in the absence of the press and public as being exempt under Paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended March 2006) (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular individual (including the Council))

Resolved:- That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended (information relating to the financial/business affairs of any person (including the Joint Committee).

The Joint Committee considered the details of the Emergency Planning Shared Service budget for the 2014/2015 financial year.

At the rising of the meeting, a presentation about the Emergency Planning Shared Service was provided for new Members of the Joint Committee.

Consideration of suitable dates:-

: Informal Briefing – Tuesday 9 September, 2014 – to start at 2.00 pm

: Full Meeting – Tuesday 9 December, 2014 – to start at 2.00 pm  (briefing at 1.30 pm)

: Informal briefing -  March, 2015, to start at 2.00 pm

: Full Meeting – June, 2015 – to start at 2.00 pm  (briefing at 1.30 pm)

venue is Rotherham Town Hall

Consideration was given to suggested dates and times of the future meetings.

It was agreed that meetings and informal briefings the Emergency Planning Shared Service Joint Committee take place on the following dates during 2014 and 2015, at the Town Hall, Rotherham:-

·                Informal Briefing – during September, 2014

·                Full Meeting - Tuesday, 9^th December, 2014 at 2.00 p.m. with a briefing at 1.30 p.m.

·                Informal Briefing – during March, 2015

·                Full Meeting – during June, 2015 at 2.00 p.m. with a briefing at 1.30 p.m.