Confirm the Minutes of the I&E Meeting held on 7 March 2023

ITEM 6

Present:

• Cllr Jack Woolley (Chair)
• Cllr Sue Burfoot
• Cllr Ludwig Ramsey
• Cllr David Taylor
• Tania Stevenson
• Mark Nash
• Clive Stanbrook
• Louise Taylor
• David Diggins
• Mick Wyldbore-Wood        

Committee Clerk:  

• Marie Lloyd-Jones

Apologies:

• Cllr Evonne Williams
• Gavin Tomlinson
• Rob Taylor
• Lee Smith
• Paul Moreland
• Davinder Johal                                  

1. Declarations of Interest

• There were no declarations of interest from Members.

2. Minutes of the Inclusion & Equality Board Meeting held on 6 December 2022

• The minutes were agreed as an accurate record.

3. London Fire Brigade Report

• Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service (DFRS) have received and noted the London Fire Brigade Report and the 23 outcomes.  Members noted that the Head of People and Organisational Development will be undertaking a full review of the Report and will produce a detailed Action Plan that will be reported back to the Inclusion & Equality Board.
• DFRS are already starting to work on the underlying theme of data and analytics and a list has been produced of additional data sources that should be received/reviewed regularly. 
• Some areas of the report were centred around London Fire Brigade policies and procedures for reporting/HR structure which DFRS already have in place and continually review.
• Support Networks have recently been restructured to align with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) structure and are now allocated mini projects such as reviewing the working rig for Firefighters and are helping to change the culture within DFRS.  A meeting is scheduled in to review the London Fire Brigade Report.
• C Stanbrook would report back to the group what percentage of females are on Network groups to ensure good representation.
• DFRS are reviewing how to record all issues/complaints more effectively and “SafetoSay” and “Crimestoppers” are being considered 
• The last cultural survey reported that 5% of personnel had witnessed/experienced bullying/harassment in the workplace and this is being addressed.
• Members noted that all Networks are allocated a Champion from SLT.
  C Stanbrook would communicate/promote names/contact details of Champions/Members on Network Groups and would promote some of the positive work already undertaken.
• The Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) team will continue to provide training/information and events through various channels across the Service.

4. Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED)

• Members noted that the 2010 Equality Act stated that there was a duty to report on PSED.  This is now linked into the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and all local/station/area plans which will be ratified at the next Fire & Rescue Authority meeting on 30 March.
• The next step is to include on station Dashboards which record station activities/planning.  Comments will have to be included on EDI activities to ensure they meet PSED.
• DFRS would consider reviewing the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and Disability pay gap next year although the threshold legally has not been reached.

5. Positive Action

• Members noted that DFRS are not recruiting Wholetime personnel during 2023 as the establishment is .5 over.
• A project is underway regarding flexibility for wholetime operational staff.
• The main focus this year will be internal promotion/development/retention programmes.  Police colleagues have been successful and DFRS will mirror their National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) document. 
• A gap analysis has been completed in liaison with Organisational Development/Human Resources/Communications around positive action across the Service.  A Training Plan is being produced.
• Positive action has also been expanded into other roles - DFRS have teamed up with a local Autistic School and High Achievers to highlight roles within the Service to consider if reasonable adjustments were made, concentrating on ability rather than disability.
• The Youth Intervention Programme is providing positive examples of how DFRS work with young people in ethnic minority backgrounds.  A NFCC Chairs Award was presented to one of the female cadets. 
• Discussions are taking place on how to engage with communities a little better.  One idea is to utilise unused areas within the Service eg a community hub.
• Members agreed that Diversity Champions are required across the Service to support and mentor. C Stanbrook would review the Mentoring Scheme in place to include the female Station Managers who would require a mentor and who could mentor themselves.

6. Report on Inclusion Activities

• Members noted that DFRS have commissioned an external organisation to undertake a full review of the Inclusion Department. 
• Members wished to thank everyone for all the work undertaken in moving in the right direction whilst facing challenging issues.