Issue - meetings

This report details progress made on the delivery of Health & Safety and Fire Safety governance arrangements for BCP Council and highlights:

·      Implementation of the Governance framework continues to be embedded and is working effectively.

·      Reporting to the Health and Safety and Fire Safety Board continues on a quarterly basis and has generally good attendance.

·      Some operational service issues have arisen, including HSE improvement notices, these have been successfully resolved.

The Corporate H&S Team is currently one FTE advisor short of full establishment.

The Health and Safety Manager presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'E' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report detailed progress made on the delivery of Health and Safety and Fire Safety governance arrangements for BCP Council. Health and Safety and Fire Safety Board meetings were reported to be taking place Quarterly with good attendance by Service Directors or their representatives. The Committee was also advised that the established BCP Council Health and Safety and Fire Safety Governance framework, which detailed the applicable governance arrangements, continued to be embedded and was working effectively.

In response to questions about Chairing of the Board it was explained that although this had usually been undertaken by the Chief Executive, the Chief Operations Officer was now increasingly involved and the issue of Chair was being reviewed. A Member was of the view that, whilst supporting the report overall, he would be unlikely to support any change to Chairmanship of the Board on the basis that, in his view, this important corporate leadership role should be undertaken by the Chief Executive. The Head of Audit and Management Assurance provided confirmation that, even if not Chairing the Board, the Chief Executive was always in attendance at it’s meetings.

The Committee received updates on Heath and Safety and Fire Safety operational issues including information about a number of Health and Safety Executive Improvement Notices that had been issued and successfully resolved.

It was noted that a Health and Safety Advisor vacancy continued to impact on the speed of delivery of some objectives, particularly the proactive audit programme, and would continue to do so over the remaining part of the year.

RESOLVED that Audit and Governance Committee notes

a)    the continued progress in implementing the Health and Safety and Fire Safety governance arrangements and the operational updates;

b)    that Health and Safety and Fire Safety ongoing governance arrangements updates continue to be reported annually to the Audit and Governance Committee.

Voting: For - 7; Against - 0; Abstain - 1