Joint Service Review moves forward
Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet have given the go ahead for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service to produce a business case to examine the possibility of closer collaborative working or combination.
Both Fire Authorities met independently on Monday, September 22 to consider a strategic options appraisal report which had been produced by a Joint Review Group (made up of Councillors and officers from both Fire and Rescue Services). This group has been considering the potential for closer working between the two Authorities since September 2007.
The initial options appraisal concluded that “subject to a full business case being developed by Warwickshire County Council and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority, the Joint Review Group is now of the view that it is in the strategic, operational and financial interests of both Authorities to initiate a period of structural collaboration, leading towards full combination in 2010.”
The purpose of the business case is to provide adequate information for each of the Authorities to make an informed judgement on the benefits and disadvantages of each of the options identified in the Strategic Options Appraisal. The business case is due to be presented to Cabinet in December 2008.The three options considered were:
* Maintenance of the Status Quo position
* Expand collaboration
* Full combination into a single Combined Fire & Rescue Authority.
County Fire Officer, William Brown from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, said:
“The work carried out by the Joint Service Review has been extensive, examining the prospective benefits of the three options proposed within the report; continue as we are, work in closer collaboration or examine the possibility of combining the two services. With Cabinet approval we will now prepare a business case, which clearly defines how the above options could be achieved.
“The joint review does recognise that any proposals will be about improving services, providing greater capacity and increasing resilience. It is not about making cuts or closing stations, the focus is clearly on how we can continue to provide a high quality service for the residents of Warwickshire.”
Portfolio Holder for Community Protection, Richard Hobbs said:
“The report put forward today by the Joint Service Review Group suggests that by closer collaborative working or combination we could increase our capacity and resilience, whilst continuing to maintain the high level of service the residents of Warwickshire receive. There is however, still more work to be done and I look forward to seeing the full business case which is expected to be presented to Cabinet in December.”