Issue - meetings

(Please note that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee will consider the group’s final report on 1^st March 2018.  As the parent Committee of the group it is possible that Members may make changes to the report and / or recommendations during this meeting.  Any changes will be reported to the Executive Committee on 6^th March).

The Chair of the Civil Contingencies Short Sharp Review, Councillor Gareth Prosser, presented the group’s final report.  In so doing he highlighted that the review had been agreed in July 2017 in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire.  During the course of the review Members had consulted with a range of expert witnesses, from both the Council and external organisations.  Based on the evidence that had been gathered Members had concluded that Redditch Borough Council had appropriate emergency planning procedures in place.  However, the group was proposing that the authority’s emergency plan should be reviewed on an annual basis rather than every three years. 

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had considered the group’s proposals at a meeting on 5^th March 2018.  During this meeting the Committee had endorsed the group’s recommendations.  This included a proposal for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to receive an annual update in respect of emergency planning arrangements; as this would be taking place in a public meeting environment it was hoped that it would help to provide reassurance to local residents about the Council’s preparedness in the event of an emergency.  The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had endorsed this proposal and as the Committee could set its own work programme the Executive Committee was asked to note this decision.

The group had concluded that the launch of the review should have been postponed until the North Worcestershire Civil Contingencies and Resilience Manager had returned from maternity leave as the evidence she had provided had helped to reassure the group that no further investigation was required.  Members had therefore proposed that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could learn lessons from this review and should consider postponing the launch of future reviews until key witnesses were available.

Officers advised that the Corporate Management Team (CMT) had welcomed the scrutiny review.  The exercise had helped to inform a refresh of the emergency plan and would have a positive impact on civil contingency arrangements moving forward.

Members welcomed the findings detailed in the report and thanked the group for their hard work.  It was noted that the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Regulatory Services, whose remit covered emergency planning, had not been consulted as part of the review.  It was suggested that in future Overview and Scrutiny Task Groups should consider consulting with the relevant Portfolio Holder if possible.

RESOLVED that

1)        the content of the Council’s emergency plan should be reviewed on an annual basis; and

2)        the group’s proposal for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to receive an annual update in respect of the Council’s emergency planning arrangements be noted.