Councillor Geoffrey Starns, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, introduced the report

The report before members proposed that Havering join, on a pilot basis, the existing joint Civil Contingency arrangement operated by the boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest.  It was explained that the proposal had been brought forward within the East London Solutions initiative for efficiency opportunities arising through partnership working.

It was announced that the outcomes of the pilot would be reviewed and evaluated in April 2012 to assess the merits or otherwise of formalising the arrangement across the three boroughs.

Reasons for the decision:

Havering is committed to identifying more efficient ways of working through partnership with other authorities and agencies. The initiative described in the report had come through the East London Solutions work which aims to deliver such efficiencies. The potential merits and opportunities arising from the initiative meant that a Pilot would certainly be of value as a means of evaluating whether, and if so to what degree, formal partnership working could be beneficial to all authorities within the joint arrangement.

Other options considered:

1.         Option 1:  Do Nothing

This would forego the benefits.

2.         Option 2:  Immediate merger

Experience had shown that a pilot arrangement to assess compatibility had proved to be the most effective approach.  In addition, there would be more complicated human resource implications to address.  There was also the need to ensure adequate resource given the Olympics.

Cabinet AGREED:

1          That Havering share resources on a pilot basis with the single Civil Contingencies service between Barking & Dagenham and Waltham Forest.

2          To receive a report in April 2012 evaluating the partnership pilot and making a recommendation as to whether to proceed to a joint working arrangement.