Strategic goal 6: We will manage and invest in our Service to ensure it is fit for the future

We strive to provide the public with value for money services. Over recent years we have worked hard to make efficiencies to ensure that services are maintained within our available funding.

Cost of the Service and how it is funded

The Service is mainly funded from a combination of council tax, business rates and government grants. Potential changes to government grant and business rates income along with increased pay and pension costs means that, although we continue to be robust in our approach to financial planning, we will need to react to these uncertainties as the implications become clear.

Our Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) sets out how our finances will be managed. The MTFS in future years will reflect the priorities outlined within this plan.

The estimated cost for providing our services across Nottinghamshire during 2021/22 was £45.3m. The council tax charge to fund the fire service was £1.60 per week for a Band D property. This compares with a national average of £1.54 per week across other standalone fire authorities.

Our budget is confirmed by the Fire Authority in February each year. The funding for the period of this plan, based on known expenditure and a set of assumptions as presented in the MTFS, shows we are likely to experience a shortfall in funding over the next three years which means that we will need to review current expenditure plans in order to deliver this CRMP.

Value for money

We have adopted the CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) Financial Management Code which requires us to demonstrate that we have processes in place to ensure good and sustainable financial management and provide assurance that we manage our resources effectively.

When concluding the 2019/20 final accounts audit, the external auditors (Ernst & Young LLP) concluded that we have proper arrangements in place to secure value for money in our use of resources.

Capital expenditure

It is important that we keep investing in our buildings, vehicles and equipment to ensure they remain fit for purpose, accessible for our communities, energy efficient and that they allow us to deliver an effective service.

We will explore the latest technology, wherever possible, to increase the efficiency of our Service and reduce our impact on the environment.

We will continue to invest in our ICT infrastructure and update our processes and systems to meet the changing needs of the organisation, and to maximise the benefits from new technology.

To ensure public money is invested wisely we will continue to explore opportunities to share our resources with other agencies or partners where possible.

Our commitments

Financial sustainability

We will:

• Review the Medium-Term Financial Strategy to deliver a long-term sustainable Service

Capital investment

We will continue to:

• Replace equipment and vehicles which have reached the end of their serviceable life
• Invest in replacing or refurbishing older, inefficient buildings in line with the Capital Programme

Environmental sustainability

We will:

• Include environmental and sustainability considerations in our decision making, governance and procurement processes
• Ensure all new build and property refurbishments are sustainable and energy efficient
• Review our processes to understand where we can minimise our impact on the environment
• Invest in our electric vehicles and infrastructure
• Engage with partners and other agencies for a collaborative approach to reducing our impacts where possible