New Horsham Station Staff Consultation
Background and Context
The new WSFRS Training Centre and Horsham Fire Station site will open in Spring/Summer 2023. This will see the existing Horsham fire station moved and our training function centralised into the new site Platinum House. This will result in a change for whole teams (Development & Training, Horsham Wholetime & Retained), while in other cases the changes affect only some individuals within the team.
For most staff groups, this will be a straight-forward change of location which may provide some reduction in travel times to Highwood Mills. However, for other groups of staff, there are some impacts which may include increased travel times and longer journeys which could disrupt personal or working arrangements. For some of our retained firefighters at Horsham, the impacts on turn in times are significant and have the potential to impact the ability of the service to meet our obligations under the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP).
The Service’s strategic priorities as set out in our CRMP that apply to these changes are:
• Responding to fires and emergencies quickly and effectively
• Making the best use of resources; and
• Having a safe and valued workforce.
The Horsham Project Delivery Board has spent many months reviewing the impacts, exploring the options available, reviewing existing policy and practice, and considering ways to mitigate or reduce the impacts identified. For staff impacted by additional travel mileage, there are policy provisions that will enable additional costs incurred to be reimbursed where the scheme criteria is met.
The aim of the document therefore is to provide staff and unions with information on our proposals for managing the impact of the location change.
During the consultation period we will be seeking to gather and consider feedback and to listen to, and take into account, representations and suggestions on the approach from impacted staff, and trade unions.
A formal consultation period will commence on 7 November 2022 and (subject to feedback during the consultation period), will close on 7 December 2022.
Proposals
- Proposed changes to work locations and the impacts on travel to work journeys, and how additional travel expenses may be claimed for those eligible.
- The potential future risk of redundancy for retained colleagues impacted by increased turn-in times together with proposals for how this risk will be mitigated and managed.
- The proposed approach to continuing recruitment activity in the developing residential areas around Highwood Mills, to bolster resilience.
- The proposed approach to reviewing impacts of the location change for individuals after 12 months to allow the service to revisit Horsham’s performance for any impact on staff.
Impacts of Change
| Staff group | Current work location | New work location |
|---|---|---|
| Development & Operational Training | Worthing fire station | New Horsham Training Centre and Fire Station Platinum House, Highwood Mills, Horsham |
| Horsham Station Retained staff | Hurst Road fire station | |
| Horsham Station Wholetime staff | Hurst Road fire station | |
| Fleet staff | Hurst Road fire station |
Development & Operational Training
It is proposed that all training staff with a current contractual work base at Worthing Fire Station will be relocated to the new Training Facility at Highwood Mills, Horsham.
Impact of location changes
There are 5 ‘Green Book’ staff and 13 ‘Grey Book’ staff directly impacted as a result of the relocation and are anticipated to experience longer journeys and therefore incur additional mileage expenses.
Travel for DOT Grey Book Trainers may be reduced by where it is possible to work at other WSFRS stations nearer to home. Additionally, when individuals are required to deliver training away from the normal office base, they can make use of the existing service vehicles which are specifically allocated to the training team for work purposes.
Please see Appendix 1 – Summary of provisions for claiming for additional travel expenses for a summary of the policy provisions relating to additional expenses incurred due to the requirement to relocate.
Please see the Consultation Document pages 4 to 8 for
- Proposed location changes
- Turn-In Time Impacts and considerations
- Assessment of implications
Feedback and suggestions
The purpose of the consultation is to seek feedback on the proposed approach to managing the impact of the location changes. Staff and trade union feedback is sought regarding any options that could be taken in relation to reducing further the risk of redundancy as the service is reviewed over the coming 12 months.Consultation Approach
Follow this link to watch back: New Horsham Station Consultation Recording
Employees will be invited by their Heads of Service / Station Manager to consultation briefings where they will have an opportunity to ask questions and understand the proposals. Human Resources and Trade Union representatives will also attend. As the relocation affects both ‘Green Book’ and Grey Book’ staff within different service areas, staff briefings will be tailored to accommodate different working patterns. To accommodate different working arrangements, consideration will be given to consultation sessions taking place via Microsoft Teams or face-to-face. Individuals impacted by the proposals will also have the opportunity to request a 1:1 consultation meeting with a member of the management team.
A dedicated mailbox has been set up for employees to send their comments and queries during the consultation period. The address is HRFRS@westsussex.gov.uk
To enable a timely response, please ensure the email is titled ‘HORSHAM CONSULTATION’. Messages sent to this mailbox will be reviewed by HR and the Head of Service. Impacted individuals may also make representations and share views directly with their Heads of Service: Please see the attached document for a list of Heads of Service and Union representativesQuestions and queries will be answered individually as they arise. A more general 'Frequently Asked Questions' ( which can be accessed from the menu on the righthand side of this page) has been issued and will be updated periodically in the event that there are points of clarity that would be helpful for the whole team to see.
As representations are received, changes to the proposals may be made, in which case these will be communicated via email to all employees, or through sharing an updated version of the consultation document.
Support During the Change
We recognise that any kind of change can be unsettling. Should you have any concerns or queries around the process and your individual circumstances or require any adjustments please do speak to your line manager.
The line manager of any employees who are affected by these proposals and absent during the consultation period due to maternity/adoption leave, long term sickness absence, unpaid leave, career breaks or secondments will make appropriate arrangements to ensure the individual is informed and can participate meaningfully in the consultation process.
Further support and counselling is available to all employees through the Employee Assistance Programme. This is a free and confidential service provided by Health Assured, an independent external organisation.
The service can be accessed as follows:
- By Phone: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year via the free phone number:
- 0800 028 0199
- Online: information, self-help guides and webinars on a range of issues via the EAP Website https://healthassuredeap.co.uk/home/(Username: Wellbeing Password: Support)
- Mobile App: Support is also available by searching Android or Apple app stores for Health Assured or E-hub.
Once downloaded log in using:
Username: Wellbeing
Password: Support
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