Present

HSC: Judith Hackitt (Chair); Hugh Robertson; Robin Dahlberg; Sayeed Khan; John Spanswick; Sandy Blair.

LGP: Geoffrey Theobald; Graham Brown; Ann Lucas; Roland Domleo.

Officials: Derek Allen (LACORS); Mark Du Val (LACORS); Sarah Bull (LACORS); Colin Douglas (HSE); Justin McCracken (HSE); Jonathan Rees (HSE); Phil Scott (HSE).

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1. Judith welcomed all to the meeting and explained her new role as Chair of HSC. Brief introductions were made around the table.

2. Two items were on the agenda for discussion - the stocktake of the partnership and communications.

Stocktake of the partnership

3. Discussion centred around:

• Leadership – and the need to get chief executives in both LAs and business to take health and safety seriously, they need to be persuaded by the fiscal business benefits.
• Sharing of best practice – can this work / case studies be made into arguments to persuade greater involvement in health and safety.
• Horizon scanning – there is a need to take a medium term look i.e. 3-5 years to identify the upcoming issues and to ensure embedded both within local government and HSE – and disseminate to all parties.

Action: suggested agenda item for next meeting.

• There needs to be greater work on both sides to identify synergies with other local government work.
• There continues to be the issue of needing to link outcomes to intelligence led work.
• Local government will put resources where they will be measured – the new Section 18 standard will enable a better understanding of gaps in LA services and where LAs are performing well.
• LACORS is currently undertaking work on understanding what drives competent authorities and what further can be done to make them excellent authorities. LACORS is looking at whether LAs are embedding Hampton principles and if they are meeting the minimum standards in all areas. LACORS is currently undertaking a leading by listening initiative to understand what can be done to help authorities achieve excellence. This work will be finished shortly and will be useful information for the next meeting.

Action: LACORS/HSE to consider the issue of health and safety resources at a local level. This information, along with the evidence gained from the LACORS leading by listening work, for discussion at the next meeting.

• HSC and HSE will begin thinking about the successor to the Fit3 programme and an invitation was extended to LAs.
• The links between health and safety and the 198 national indicators need to be made clear, and it was important that the LA side worked with HSC/E on embedding health and safety in new Local Area Agreements.

Action: HSE/LACORS to work together to undertake this work.

Communications

4. The direction of communications for HSC was discussed at the morning Commission meeting. They set the focus on the need to communicate the importance of health and safety in the workplace – not the role of HSE. The discussion focussed around:

• undertaking a more proactive approach.
• setting out what real health and safety is about and its consequences.
• working with LAs on all communication issues therefore LAs and LACORS need to be involved in the development of the new HSC communications strategy to ensure consistent messaging, awareness of local government reputational issues etc.
• common materials – eg press information, key messages need to be shared.
• utilising local council newspapers / media more.

Action: Colin Douglas to ensure LAs and LACORS input into the HSC communications strategy, to be considered by the Commission in February 2008.