Agenda item

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport.

28.1     The Head of Communities introduced Victoria Eaton to the Committee who is the Team Manager for Emergency Planning. She introduced the report and outlined that the structure of the team is an excellent example of partnership working with other councils and organisations. This, coupled with the recruitment of the final member of the professional team, enhances the Team’s ability to provide best value and shared expertise. The Team is comprised of 5.2 full time equivalent posts (including a job share) with additional staff support provided from Public Health and the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS).

28.2     The Committee asked how the size of the ESCC team compared with other local authorities, and about the balance between reactive and planned work of the Team. The Team Manager, Emergency Planning responded that West Sussex County Council’s emergency planning team has 11 staff, but does not provide a service to District and Borough councils. Surrey County Council’s emergency planning team has 14 staff.

28.3     The Team Manager, Emergency Planning explained that a large part of the Team’s activity is working proactively with a range of partners in order to be prepared as much as possible for a range of incidents and emergencies. The Team also provide a leadership role in dealing with incidents and emergencies when they occur.  The Lead Member for Communities added that their role also includes working with local businesses and communities on the importance of emergency planning.

28.4     The Committee enquired whether further funding or income was available from partners such as the ESFRS and Sussex Police. The Team Manager, Emergency Planning explained that the ESFRS makes a contribution in staff time by providing a member of staff who works with the Team. Sussex Police have their own team and therefore do not buy into the service. The Director of CET commented that the Police role is different in the event of an emergency incident as a first responder. The local authority’s role is to provide recovery and resilience in getting communities back up and working after an incident.

28.5     The Committee asked if the Team give assistance to Parish councils in emergency planning, and whether they make a contribution to the Teams’ budget. The Team Manager, Emergency Planning responded that the Team does provide assistance to Parish councils and has held a conference on emergency planning for Parish councils. There is a statutory obligation in the Civil Contingencies Act for ESCC, as a category 1 responder, which Parish councils do not have. Therefore ESCC does not charge for services to Parishes.

28.6     The work with Parishes provides self-help and guidance for Parishes in their work. This is to help build community resilience and raise awareness of that for which Parish councils are responsible. The Lead Member for Communities offered to circulate the presentation slides from the conference and will check to see if ESCC councillors were invited.

28.7     The Committee noted the net cost of the Service and asked if there was any scope for savings. The Head of Communities replied that the Team is as lean as possible and there is no scope to seek further income from the District and Borough councils. The Team is as efficient as possible and gets maximum benefit from joint working.

28.8     The Committee commented that a breakdown of the time spent on different categories of work the Team undertakes throughout year would be helpful, together with some case studies. The Team Manager, Emergency Planning outlined that the Team is working to raise awareness of emergency planning, and is happy to give an outline of the work that is being undertaken.

28.9     The Committee RESOLVED to have an update report on the activities and achievements of the Emergency Planning Team in a year’s time.