2024-03-31-accounts - National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

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Report & Financial Statements For the year ended 31st March 2024

71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ

Company Registration No. 3677186 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. 1074071

Executive Summary TOTAL INCOME £10,654,064 Grant: £6,892,121 Professional partnership: £2,602,872 Other income: £1,159,071 42 ttfflpfrfr New members Launched new Members Strategy and Commercial Strategy 49 This includes 8 International, 14 sector and 11 affiliate members as a result of our new Commercial Strategy Public con5ultation5 responded to 1400 18-, METERS In line with NFCC recommendations, the 90vernment announced a new requirement for all new residentlal buildings In England over 18 meters tall to have a second stalrcase, revising their initial position from 30 meters 95%::: Support and improvement engagements of services have adopted the Online Home Fire Safety Check developed by NFCC'S Prevention team Including 160 workshops and 260 service visits, by the Implementation team Taken a leading role in strategic planning to improve FRS culture through the Culture Action Plan Developed a Cyber Action Plan and secured additional funding to deliver against recommendations from the Home Office Cyber Assessment Framework report

Contents Page

Statement from Chair of Trustees ........................................................................................................ 3 Joint statement from Chiefs Council Chair and CEO ........................................................................................................ 5-6 NFCC Vision, Mission and Values ........................................................................................................ 7-8 Governance and Management........................................................................................................ 9-10 One NFCC ........................................................................................................ 11-12 Risk Management ........................................................................................................ 13-14 Internal Audit ........................................................................................................ 17-18Membership and Structure Chiefs Council ........................................................................................................ 19-24 Corporate Strategy: Strategic Objectives ........................................................................................................ 25-26 Strategic Focus ........................................................................................................ 27-28 ........................................................................................................ 29-30Income Diversification Achievements and Performance........................................................................................................ 32-46 Conferences and Events ........................................................................................................ 47-50 Influence........................................................................................................ 51-52 Looking Forward: Future Plans ........................................................................................................ 53-54 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities........................................................................................................ 55-58 Audit report and financial statements ........................................................................................................ 59-79 ........................................................................................................ 16

Statement from Chair of Trustees

Nick Ross

improvements. Among other challenges is the risk that successes in areas such as reducing house fires can breed complacency. Achievements in reducing deaths and losses can result in lower public policy priority.

“The UK should always deserve the finest fire and rescue services in the world.”

We need to formalise agreements with an incoming government that the UK should always deserve the finest fire and rescue services in the world. Despite some of the best response times, the most professional training and the highest standards, there are still unacceptable fatalities, especially in social housing, with new wildfire and flooding risks from global warming and the ever-present danger of low-probability but very high-impact events. NFCC is unquestionably growing in its role and authority. It has become the standard-setter in prevention as well as response, and the NFCC Chair Mark Hardingham, is the government’s principal adviser on fire and rescue. There are proposals for a new College of Fire which could galvanise new thinking and in which the NFCC should play a decisive role. At home it is a truly UK-wide organisation helping to innovate and standardise the best and provide economies of scale. It is also building alliances which raise Britain’s status across the globe and can help diversify its income.

For all the sector’s challenges, British citizens can be proud of the dedication, expertise and successes of its fire and rescue services across the UK and it is a privilege for those of us who serve as trustees to work with such world-class professionals.

-4 Nottinghams

Joint statement from Chiefs Council Chair and CEO

Mark Hardingham Chair of Chiefs Council

Susannah Hancock r NFCC Chief Executive Office

Statement from Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Chiefs Council

This has been another busy and productive year for NFCC and UK fire and rescue services. We would first want to acknowledge the invaluable work of all our members, both FRS and wider membership, who are committed to supporting and advancing fire and rescue services in their critical work in keeping communities safe. We support them in this by providing advice into Ministers and Government; by identifying, developing and disseminating, products, tools, and guidance to support improvements and share good practice across the sector; by supporting the personal and professional development of our members; and by taking a leadership role when required across UK fire and rescue services.

As the Chair of Chiefs Council and CEO we have prioritised fostering engagement and strengthening relationships across the sector to support continuous improvement. This includes a priority focus on culture and inclusion. Recent independent reports have highlighted the urgent need for transformation across culture in fire and rescue services. Approaching the one-year mark since the publication of our Culture Action Plan, we are encouraged by the positive strides made. Initiatives such as our listen and learn sessions, the successful launch of the Direct Entry Programme’s inaugural cohort, and the introduction of the Middle Leadership Programme have been positively received by the sector. However, we acknowledge the entrenched nature of these challenges and that much more needs to be done across the sector to ensure widespread adoption of positive, inclusive environments, free from bullying and harassment. This will continue to be the number one priority for us in the year ahead.

NFCC supports all fire and rescue services in implementing the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations. The forthcoming Grenfell Tower Inquiry final report will be pivotal, and NFCC will ensure services continue to respond to recommendations, offering reassurance to Government, the public and those most directly impacted by this terrible and tragic fire.

NFCC has directly supported the work of the independent Fire Standards Board. Sixteen Fire Standards have now been approved and we are supporting all fire and rescue services in advancing in consistency and excellence in standards. We have worked closely with His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in their routine and thematic inspections, in fire and rescue services and in hosting the NFCC and HMICFRS positive and notable practice portal. Alongside partners, NFCC has rallied support for firefighters in Ukraine by facilitating the delivery of much-needed resources through seven convoys, the last being the largest yet. In line with our commitment to innovation and sustainability, NFCC has expanded its offerings to members, aiming to diversify our income streams while extending accessibility to our resources and membership worldwide. Our new commercial strategy lays the foundation for a more sustainable future and reinforces our mission to serve the sector efficiently and effectively.

Looking ahead, NFCC approaches the next 12 months with purpose, determination and optimism, committed to our mission of advancing and supporting the fire and rescue service to help keep our communities safe.

Mark Hardingham Susannah Hancock

Chair of Chiefs Council NFCC Chief Executive Officer

NFCC Vision and Mission

Vision

To be the leading professional voice of fire and rescue services across the UK, using our national role, influence, and expertise to support collaboration and drive improvements in the fire and rescue services to help keep communities safe.

Mission

Our mission is set out in NFCC charitable objects.

To lead, coordinate and support effective prevention, protection, and emergency response – locally and nationally – to reduce loss of life, personal injury and damage to property and the environment which can arise from fire, accident, major incidents, and other emergencies.
To support fire and rescue services in transforming their role to meet changing demands and resources for the benefit of society.
To promote effective service delivery working with partner organisations, governments, and private sector bodies and the community.
To maximise the effectiveness of the UK Fire and Rescue Services in saving lives and increasing public safety by representing the professional voice of the UK Fire and Rescue Services.

Corporate and Member Strategies

We have launched our Corporate Strategy which has been approved by Trustees and Member Strategy which was approved by our members this year.

Values NFCC National Fire Chiefs Council Ourvalues 08

Governance and Management

NFCC is a charitable company governed by trustees under its Articles of Association. The Board of Trustees includes

representatives from NFCC’s Individual Membership along with trustees from outside the fire and rescue sector.

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The Nominations Committee manages the recruitment of the new trustees and recruited a new Chair of the Board of Trustees, Nick Ross who is one of the independent members and who commenced on 1 April 2023. The trustees oversee all financial and governance aspects of NFCC and meet quarterly.

Governance processes are in place to ensure that the charity is managed effectively and efficiently in line with charity and company law. In 2020/21, we commissioned a full review of our corporate processes and policies and throughout 2022/23 we implemented the final recommendations from that review including the development and publication of our Good Governance Framework.

This financial year we have been embedding the changes that were implemented, both in our ’business-as-usual’ activities, and as part of our One NFCC organisational change programme, which was completed and closed during 2023/24.

The induction and ongoing development programme for new trustees introduced in 2021/22 has now been embedded and is available for all trustees, with development needs discussed annually as part of the board review process.

Governance and Management

Trustees established a Finance and Audit Committee during 2022/23, to monitor financial performance, audit and risk management, providing advice and assurance to the board. Trustees have now delegated authority to this committee to approve approve a number of financial and governance policies as well as authority to appoint the internal auditors, the audit plan and subsequent audit reports. Trustees retain approval of the financial and risk controls and governance of NFCC.

The day-to-day management of NFCC has been delegated by the trustees to key management roles. This year the trustees changed the title of the Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer to provide a single point of corporate leadership and governance.

We have implemented a Good Governance Framework to provide clarity around NFCC governance structures, decision-making and flows of communication in line with our corporate values and the principles of good governance. The purpose of this document and related policies, processes and charts is to provide confidence to trustees, members, staff and stakeholders that NFCC works within a robust framework to achieve its objectives while providing clarity and transparency on governance and decision-making across NFCC. This is in order to facilitate effective and efficient decisions in a transparent manner with a clear audit trail.

The NFCC Senior Leadership Team, comprising of the CEO and Directors, continues to meet monthly, receiving reports from – and consulting with – advisers from across the organisation in order to monitor delivery, performance, and discuss risks, issues and opportunities.

The Chair of Chiefs Council is a paid, full-time role employed by NFCC and appointed by NFCC’s Individual Membership. The role is held for an initial two-year term with the possibility of a further extension of up to two further years; both periods are subject to satisfactory performance which is managed through a dedicated Performance Committee. After serving for the initial two-year term, the current NFCC Chair’s term was extended last year for an additional two years.

We have increased our employee numbers following completion of the One NFCC Programme’s Transformation and Service Level Agreement (SLA) projects. Employees from our SLAs with London Fire Brigade and West Midlands Fire Service, under TUPE transfer arrangements have transferred over to us thereby increasing the number of personnel directly employed by NFCC, bringing financial efficiencies as referenced in the section on the One NFCC Programme, on page 12 of this report.

We have implemented a new Pay Policy and revised our performance development plans which includes mandatory staff training on key areas. We have also introduced additional employee value propositions as part of our commitment to developing people and being an employer of choice.

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One NFCC

The One NFCC organisational change programme was launched in July 2021 in response to recommendations made as part of an external review into NFCC’s organisational structures and capabilities. Having commissioned the review in 2020, the trustees agreed that the time was right to build on previous successes, achievements, and organisational growth so that NFCC could continue to work effectively and efficiently to meet its strategic goals and objectives.

The Programme consisted of four distinct projects, each designed to deliver specific outcomes that would form the basis for NFCC’s continued development and improvement. There have been some significant outcomes as the programme completed delivery of its objective and was closed in 2023/24. The Organisational Transformation, Governance and Review of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) projects have been closed, while the Digital Transformation project has moved into ‘business as usual.’

Key benefits resulting from these projects include, but are not limited, to:

£212K annual VAT savings made following the closure of the Service Level Agreement between NFCC and London Fire Brigade (LFB) and West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS).
Enhanced communication and collaboration across NFCC due to operational restructuring and new communications channels including an intranet.
Greater consistency in HR processes including HR policies and procedures; staff benefits and remuneration for future planning and parity among staff groups.
Completion of job modelling exercise to create standard job descriptions and pay bands for roles across the organisation.
Greater effectiveness and efficiency, delivered via a new Target Operating Model, integrated working, new corporate strategy, and strengthened financial management and planning.

Risk Management

NFCC has a risk management policy and framework, agreed by trustees, through which all corporate and organisational risks are managed.

Looking forward, 2024/25 promises to bring with it new challenges and opportunities for NFCC, including a challenging financial climate, the increased diversification of NFCC funding streams and the upcoming general election. While each of these present potential new risks for NFCC to identify and manage, the increased maturity of NFCCs risk management approach, as outlined below, means that the organisation is now better placed than ever to identify and prepare for any risks, as well as capitalising on opportunities as they arise.

The previous twelve months have brought a major uplift in the maturity of NFCC’s risk management approach, with the introduction of a new framework and supporting tools. This work has

resulted in the development of a shared understanding of risk, and standardised approach to its management across the organisation. To facilitate this work, a dedicated risk management role was created in order to support the organisation in analysing and documenting risk, and to provide further support to NFCC’s leadership team in the identification and management of risk.

Continuing on from 2022/23, NFCC’s senior leadership team continues to undertake regular deep-dive sessions reviewing the Corporate Risk and Issue Log. The results of these meetings are communicated through to the Finance and Audit Committee (FAC) and the Board of Trustees in the form of recommendations of the addition or modification of new or existing risks and issues. This process forms the basis of NFCC’s corporate risk management.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service

In the 2024/25 financial year the NFCC Board of Trustees agreed a Risk Appetite statement:

National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) recognises the critical importance of effective risk management in achieving its strategic objectives. As a leading body representing fire and rescue authorities across the nation, NFCC is dedicated to supporting firefighters, emergency responders, and the community which they serve by proactively identifying, evaluating, and managing risks inherent in our operations.

We prioritise continual risk assessment and analysis to anticipate and address emerging risks and issues, leveraging best practices, data-driven insights, and collaborative partnerships within the fire and rescue sector. By identifying and understanding these risks and issues, NFCC aims to develop and implement robust mitigation strategies, response plans, and training programmes.

Our organisation fosters a culture of risk awareness and accountability at all levels of the organisation. NFCC encourages open communication, knowledge sharing, and the adoption of innovative solutions to effectively manage risks in line with the expectations outlined within this document.

NFCC’s leadership and governance structures are committed to overseeing the efficacy of our risk management framework, providing a top-down focus on managing risk while providing staff the resources to effectively manage risk across all NFCC functions, programmes and projects. Regular reviews, updates to policies, and alignment with evolving regulations and standards are integral components of our commitment to continuous improvement in risk mitigation practices.

Through our unwavering dedication to risk management excellence, NFCC endeavours to uphold a high level of corporate governance to best support the invaluable work of fire and rescue services nationwide.

Internal Audit

Concurrent to the work to further develop NFCC’s risk management approach, we have engaged an internal audit company to undertake an internal audit programme informed by NFCC’s corporate risk register.

Three internal audits have been undertaken in 23/24 across the following areas: Procurement; Data Security; and Payroll and Expenses.

The outcome in all three audits has been an assurance rating of ‘moderate’, meaning whilst some areas of moderate risk exposure have been identified, no urgent remedial action is required. NFCC’s Senior Leadership Team have produced management actions in response to the recommendations, all of which are either underway or completed.

Further to this, NFCC’s Governance team has undertaken the first in an ongoing series of compliance checks. This programme of assurance activities serves to test NFCC’s key controls and provide confidence in NFCC’s ability to manage risk and respond to any unforeseen incidents as they occur. The 24/25 audit programme will involve audits focusing on: cyber security; risk management and accounts payable.

One key area of focus for NFCC over 2023/24 has been the identification and management of cyber security risks. To this end, we undertook a period of analysis and improvement of our internal cyber security controls in pursuit of gaining a Cyber Essentials Certification. The certification was successfully achieved in Q4, 2023/24. Along with acting as a means of communicating NFCC’s aptitude and appetite for managing cyber security risks, this certification provides NFCC with additional insurance and direct access to a team of external experts, accessible in the event of a cyber security incident.

A second key focus area for NFCC across 2023/24 has been Business Continuity Planning (BCP). Significant work has also been done to establish Business Continuity Management within NFCC, with a Business Continuity Policy and Plan to be launched in Q1, 2024/25. The plan will cover key priority areas, identified by the Senior Leadership Team, in HR, IT and Finance and will improve organisational resilience to Business Continuity incidents and ensure timely recovery and review.

Membership and Structure

Our membership gives NFCC a strong reputational base. NFCC membership continues to offer different types of membership, as detailed in our Articles of Association: Individual; Past; Honorary; Professional Partner; International; Sector and Affiliate. The latter three categories are new in 2023/24. The introduction of the new NFCC website means that various NFCC content such as Operational Guidance now sits behind a paywall, and this has therefore led to an increase in paid sector members.

We are pleased to confirm that every UK public FRS remains a member of NFCC.

Corporate and Membership Structure 2024

*The National Resilience function is managed and hosted by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

Chiefs Council

The Chiefs Council is a committee of NFCC; a forum for decision-making at a national level, agreeing strategic guidance and policies (developed via its committees and wider work areas), promoting best practice, providing coordinated support, providing advice for governments and other stakeholders and is the professional voice of the UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS).

The Chiefs Council meets quarterly, and meetings are well attended both in person and online. We are committed to ensuring that Chiefs Council is a forum where every FRS has a voice as strategic national policy is shaped. Our FRS members from the devolved administrations are a key part of this. NFCC council meetings also include a pre-meet where attendees are invited to debate key topics for the sector in a more informal, closed environment.

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Chiefs Council provides all UK fire and rescue services, which are NFCC Professional
Partners, with:
• A common and consistent approach, ensuring and sharing good practice and
supporting services for the public.
•
Coordination of activities to improve efficiency – research and development and
joint procurement.
• Professional and technical advice for all governance models.
• Coordination of mobilisation to, and management of, large-scale emergencies,
support to devolved areas of UK, through the National Coordination and Advisory
Framework.
•
Efficiencies through joint working.
• Enhanced support to professional development and operational leadership,
including succession planning.
• Support to workforce development activities (including diversity, inclusion and on-
call duty systems).
• Benchmarking activities and supporting publication of information for the public.
• A professional adviser to government (England FRS only) and supporting
professional colleagues in devolved governments.
• A consistent and professional adviser to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary
and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and the development of professional
standards in England.
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Chiefs Council Committees

Our committees and programmes deliver the work for NFCC, against priorities set out by the Chiefs Council for the benefit of the UK FRS. Using networks of subject matter experts, each of our seven Chiefs Council committees aims to support the UK FRS in reducing risk to life and property, minimise injury and harm, and improve health and wellbeing in ways that are sustainable and cost-effective. All committees are chaired by NFCC Individual Members and contribute to the achievement of NFCC’s service delivery.

Council Committee Structure

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NFCC Steering Group

The NFCC Steering Group comprises Chiefs Council Chair, Vice Chairs and Chairs of the committees, alongside the NFCC CEO. It reports into the Chiefs Council through the Chair of Chiefs Council. Providing advice, assurance and making recommendations, Steering Group provides the forum to shape and inform Chiefs Council discussions and decisions. The group is responsible for monitoring the delivery of the NFCC plan. Prior to each formal meeting of the Chiefs Council, the Steering Group will meet to discuss current issues, assess progress against the Annual Plan and agree the Council meeting agenda. This group consists of the Chiefs Council Chair, Chiefs Council Vice Chairs, Committee Chairs, representatives from each of the devolved areas and NFCC’s Chief Executive Officer. The NFCC Senior Leadership Team attend in an advisory role.

Service Delivery Change and Investment Board (SDCIB) Limited Steering Group

This board was established by NFCC during 2022/23, as an additional line of scrutiny and assurance. The board is also an investment committee for NFCC service delivery.

The board considers progress of portfolio delivery and risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies (RAID) management and any requests to vary planned delivery submitted via business case. The SDCIB make their recommendations to Steering Group and Chiefs Council. The Board is jointly chaired by the Chair of Chiefs Council and the CEO, and includes representation from the membership and NFCC senior team.

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Other Boards

Programme and Project Boards which are comprised of programme or project executives, subject matter experts, key stakeholders and programme or project managers are in place to provide robust governance processes, make decisions or recommendations to the decision-makers in line with our governance structure, as appropriate. Additional ad hoc task and finish and working groups are established as the need arises.

Professional bodies

Bank

HSBC 10 Market Street, Tamworth, B79 7LZ

External Auditors

CLA Evelyn Partners Limited, 17 Queens Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1RN

Solicitors

Veale Wasbrough Vizards LLP, a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales, registered number OC384033, registered o ice Narrow Quay House, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA.

Internal Auditor

Azets Holdings Limited, Company Number: 06365189, Registered address: 2nd Floor Regis House, 45 King William Street, London, EC4R 9AN

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Corporate Strategy: strategic objectives

Transforming Ourselves

Delivering high impact services for our members effectively and efficiently through our new target operating model.

Becoming a digital first organisation.

Developing a sustainable funding base.

Developing our People

Deliver a new professional development plan to equip our staff with the skills that they need and opportunities they deserve.

Embed our new values framework, delivering an inclusive and respectful culture.

Ensure our people are well led at all levels through empowering leadership.

Recruit and retain as an employer of choice that values its people.

Being a Partner of Choice

Enable effective collaboration across fire and rescue services, government and industry partners to enhance our impact and reach and be seen as a trusted partner that delivers on our commitments.

Ensure the diversity and different local needs and demands of our members are represented across out commitments and services.

Ensuring Good Governance

Deliver fit-for-purpose governance that provides assurances to trustees and members about the quality of our work, our compliance with regulations, and our effective and proportionate risk management.

Strengthen our management through our new Target Operating Model (TOM).

Strengthen our financial accountability through robust audit and assurance.

Our new NFCC Corporate Strategy has been agreed by Trustees,alongside our new Member Strategy which has been approved by members. Our strategic objectives link closely to our charitable objects and to the sector wide strategy Fit for the Future with its improvement objectives of:

Continually Improve
Collaborate and Partner
Represent and Support.

Ultimately, the goal of all fire and rescue services is to keep communities safe. NFCC provides a critical platform for collaboration, engagement and development at national and international levels, assisting FRS with support, tools, and guidance to improve service delivery at a local level.

As a membership organisation, NFCC strives to support our members to work effectively and efficiently within the tight financial constraints that they must adhere to.

We strive to offer good value for money to our members, so they receive the greatest value for their professional partnership fee. We continue to focus on developing strong collaborative partnerships with members, key stakeholders, government, the devolved administrations and more widely, providing a critical link between local delivery and the national environment.

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Strategic Focus

Sector representation and improvement

NFCC plays a leadership role in representing UK fire and rescue services on a national scale with a unified voice, leveraging the collective knowledge and expertise of professionals across the UK for the benefit of all. We work with our members, government departments, devolved administrations, HMICFRS and a wide range of stakeholders to understand what needs to develop and change across the sector and work together to deliver improvements, helping to keep communities safe, and supporting fire and rescue staff to work in a positive environment.

Our work continues to be driven by key priorities including our response to the consequences of tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire and Manchester Arena attack and the significant concerns in relation to culture across FRSs, set out in a number of independent reviews into culture within individual services and the HMICFRS spotlight report on Values and culture in fire and rescue services.

Our work goes further, with renewed commitment to supporting continuous improvement across all areas within fire and rescue services.

Culture

NFCC is committed to working with fire and rescue services to support and deliver a positive and inclusive culture by inspiring leadership, embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, bringing in and nurturing diverse talent, and supporting the health and wellbeing of all staff.

Supporting improvements to culture and inclusion across services remains the key priority for NFCC. Critical reviews and inspections into fire service culture have identified significant concerns in relation to misogyny, racism and wider issues around values, attitudes and behaviours across services and have rightly called for substantial culture change. For NFCC this is now our number one priority, in supporting and driving forward change across the sector.

We want to acknowledge all those individuals who have bravely come forward to report issues and concerns, alongside the amazing support networks that are supporting them.

Whilst much work has been done, we know that much more is needed to deliver the step change that fire and rescue services and the communities they serve need and deserve. NFCC has taken a leading national role, working with partners and services in the development and delivery of the NFCC Culture Action Plan which supports FRSs in their work to improve culture and end misogyny, racism, bullying and harassment across UK fire and rescue services. This remains our top priority. We are encouraged by the commitment to cultural improvement across fire and rescue services, the work already underway, and the benefits of the work, focus and investment that we are now starting to see, but we also recognise that much more is needed and that work on culture must never stop to make sure that all fire services are safe, inclusive places to work.

New and emerging risks and challenges

We regularly review external influences that may affect our work or our members and we are adapting our approach to new and emerging demands and threats in order to find innovative solutions. The nature, complexity and scale of incidents are changing. Variations include incidents in relation to climate change and terrorism. Emerging trends include new hazards such as with alternative fuels and battery energy storage systems, the failing of the built environment, and the increasingly complex needs of vulnerable people living in their own homes. Due to an ageing population, the demand pressures in health and public safety are becoming ever more pressing across all local communities and public services. We remain keen to work closely with other emergency services and to explore opportunities for close collaboration.

We are committed to supporting fire and rescue services as they seek to improve and adapt to new challenges. In order to work as effectively and efficiently as possible, we have set our approach through development of complementary corporate and member strategies. These detailed strategic objectives underpin our work to support sector improvement.

Academic Collaboration, Evaluation and Research Group (ACER)

ACER is an independent forum, convened by NFCC, to help coordinate and maximise the benefits of academic research with relevance for fire and rescue services, to contribute to improved public and firefighter safety. It is chaired by Professor Rowena Hill from Nottingham Trent University.

ACER has been established to enhance links between the fire and rescue community and academia. High-quality research associated with fire and rescue service activities – including protection and building safety, prevention, operational response, culture and inclusion, and leadership and development – is produced across a range of organisations and academic disciplines in the UK and internationally.

Harnessing this research through ACER enables improvement and development by supporting the sector to use techniques and approaches that are evaluated and evidenced to work. It also assists in identifying oncoming challenges and opportunities through horizon scanning of evidenceinformed future scenarios. Further, it serves wider society through increasing safety and reducing harm.

Income diversification

NFCC has developed a commercial strategy, that seeks to develop and diversify our income streams, ensuring we can move to a longer-term, sustainable financial position where we are continue to deliver lasting benefits and value to our members and the communities they serve. The commercial strategy was launched in April 2023 with an initial three-year delivery plan. Progress against the plan is reviewed regularly by trustees and via the Commercial Oversight Board.

Diversification of NFCC’s funding streams will lead to less reliance on single streams such as grant funding, resulting in a more sustainable, stable future, enabling the continuation of delivery against our charitable objectives.

Historically, NFCC membership has only been open to UK public sector fire and rescue services, but we have now widened this to include affiliate, international and sector members who can now gain access to intelligence, guidance and publications produced by NFCC under the supervision of the best subject matter experts in the UK. We are pleased to welcome over 20 new members this year including airport fire and rescue services, training providers to the sector and international fire and rescue services.

As part of the commercial strategy, we also partner with Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service to deliver end point assessment (EPA) for fire and rescue services for the operational firefighter apprenticeship. Growth plans include extending this offer of partnership to provide EPA for other apprenticeships relevant to the sector including call handling and fire safety.

Other areas for development include working with the Home Office and wider UK PLC to promote the whole of the UK fire sector internationally, and from an NFCC perspective coordinating training for international fire and rescue services.

Nottingharrishire Fire and Rescue Service

Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service

Achievements

and Performance

Digital Transformation Project

The Digital Transformation Project has been pivotal in enhancing our digital capabilities and consolidating our online presence. Launched successfully in October 2023, the project has integrated various NFCC websites into a unified platform, significantly improving the user experience and accessibility. This consolidation has enabled us to create a dedicated online membership portal, which has become a central hub for accessing NFCC’s diverse tools and resources.

Our achievements in the first phase have set a robust foundation for future enhancements. We are now focused on further integrating essential tools like Organisational Learning and Strategic Gap Analysis, enhancing accessibility for Mobile Data Terminals, and advancing our digital data capabilities to support informed decision-making. These efforts are complemented by the development of a seamless, integrated digital ecosystem and the ongoing creation of a Digital Roadmap and NFCC Digital Strategy.

These strategic initiatives aim to reinforce NFCC’s position as a leader in digital transformation, ensuring our organisation remains at the forefront of providing innovative and effective support to the fire and rescue sector.

People, Culture and Leadership

Culture Action Plan

In July 2023 NFCC published the Culture Action Plan The plan was produced following an NFCC Fire and Rescue partnership culture summit held in April 2023, where UK fire and rescue services and wider partners came together to discuss the key challenges and concerns in relation to culture and inclusion in FRSs and identify actions to address them.

Prior to the conference, we had already been working through our People, Culture and Leadership Co-ordinating Committee to deliver a wide-ranging programme of change to develop people and leadership and improve culture across FRSs. However, following the Independent Culture Review of London Fire Brigade, the sector recognised that much more was needed to deliver the step change needed to transform FRSs to be open, inclusive and welcoming places to work. As a result, the NFCC Chair made a public commitment that culture would be our top priority. We then published an Organisational Culture Statement, and, following the partnership summit, developed and published the NFCC Culture Action Plan.

Progress to date on some of the key deliverables includes:

Safeguarding

On 6th July 2023, Fire and Rescue Authorities were added to schedule 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 following campaign efforts from NFCC. This now enables FRSs to be eligible for a Standard level Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check for employees, including volunteers. Guidance has also been created providing the sector with an overview of safeguarding duties to enhance public and employee safety.

Professional Leadership

In addition to the Direct Entry scheme which is detailed on page 36, the Middle Leadership Development Programme (MLDP) was launched in April 2024 and is NFCC’s next leadership development initiative. This supports fire and rescue services in nurturing talent and diversifying their workforce, enhancing their capacity to serve the public effectively.

Educational and Behavioural change tools:

NFCC is supporting FRSs by developing and sharing good practice toolkits and, supporting leaders and staff with behaviour change, including becoming active bystanders and responding appropriately when they see inappropriate behaviour whether in leadership roles or otherwise.

NFCC produced three additional thematic EDI Toolkits on the following topics:

Religion and Belief

The Religion and Belief Toolkit was developed in partnership with the Asian Fire Service Association (AFSA) using a toolkit previously developed by them, that has now been brought up to date and enhanced. The Menopause Toolkit was developed with the support and assistance of Women in the Fire Service and the Menopause Champions Network. These toolkits provide guidance to FRS to support the cultivation of positive work environments free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Disability
Menopause

Culture Performance Dashboard

This has involved the development of an open-source cultural dashboard methodology that FRSs can use to benchmark their cultural performance.

The guidance created by NFCC highlights two specific workplace issues: building a culture of positive mental health and wellbeing and creating workplaces free from harassment and discrimination. By measuring and analysing data related to these issues, FRSs can identify risk factors, determine the effectiveness of interventions, and take appropriate action. The journey from strategy to metrics, data to information, and information to action is crucial in achieving positive outcomes and improvements to work environments. Positive work environments will ensure focus remains on serving the communities in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Tools and Resources

Within NFCC’s ongoing commitment to supporting the development of fire and rescue services, NFCC’s People, Culture and Leadership team has crafted a range of resources tailored to nurture employee growth and foster positive organisational cultures. NFCC’s Culture Action Plan serves as a roadmap for fire and rescue services seeking to cultivate environments conducive to professional advancement and excellence. Through initiatives such as the regular Listen and Learn sessions, which have focused on areas such as men’s mental health, International Women’s Day, and reverse mentoring, we have worked to empower FRSs to lead conversations around critical wellness needs among their own staff.

By providing FRS’s with toolkits such as the Challenging Behaviour Toolkit and Culture Dashboard Methodology we enable them to equip their staff with essential skills and gather crucial feedback to inform their ongoing improvement efforts. Moreover, our resources facilitate the adoption of independent reporting lines and the implementation of EDI toolkits, empowering FRSs to uphold principles of fairness, equity, and inclusivity in their operations.

Other initiatives, such as the Direct Entry first cohort and the launch of our Middle Leadership Programme, enable FRSs to access cutting-edge leadership development programmes, nurturing talent and diversifying their workforce, enhancing their capacity to serve their communities effectively.

Direct Entry

Direct Entry seeks to recruit individuals from diverse backgrounds alongside traditional routes of entry to fire and rescue services. The goal is to enhance the talent pool and meet emerging risks effectively. While recognising firefighters’ expertise and prioritising their career advancement, Direct Entry aims to reflect the communities served by diversifying the workforce. It is not an easy path, and involves a rigorous recruitment process and three years of intensive operational, leadership, and strategic training with seven distinct phases.

Five fire and rescue services are participating in the pilot: East Sussex FRS; Staffordshire FRS; Oxfordshire FRS; Avon FRS; and Leicestershire FRS.

The recruits come from diverse backgrounds including the police, armed forces, recruitment, and leisure industries, showcasing the breadth of knowledge and experience the fire sector can attract through an initiative such as Direct Entry.

Operational Response and Fire Control

The Operational Response and Fire Control Hub was formed in July and develops and maintains a range of operational and fire control guidance and tools. Support has been provided by the team to the sector to establish and progress work including: Contaminants; Wildfires action plan; the implications of Right Care Right Person which aims to ensure that people with health and/or social care needs are responded to by the right person, with the right skills, training, and experience; and working with the Home Office to produce guidance and training for Emergency Alerts.

The hub works in collaboration with other NFCC teams such as the Organisational Learning Team to produce risk assessments, and training resources to enable fire and rescue services to work towards achieving more effective and efficient operational responses to emergencies, learning not just from our guidance but from other services who submit learning.

The team continues to deliver the Fire Control Guidance Project and has provided new guidance to fire control rooms across the sector. We have completed the procurement of Multi Agency Incident Transfer (MAIT), which will be implemented in the next financial year in collaboration with the Home Office. This will deliver on a recommendation of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report that was directed to all emergency services and aims to ensure effective communication between emergency services to provide situational awareness of incidents even prior to arrival, ensuring the most efficient use of time in time-critical situations.

Prevention

In Prevention, we have made significant strides in fostering safer and healthier communities through enhanced collaboration with partners. This includes the establishment of a new Prevention hub, facilitating robust leadership and governance. Notably, over 95 per cent of our services have adopted the Online Home Fire Safety Check, demonstrating our commitment to reducing fire injuries and fatalities in homes. Additionally, we have prioritised person-centred frameworks, supported services to deliver recommendations from NFCC’s mental health research, road safety, water safety, and supporting FRSs to contribute fully to their Serious Violence Duty to ensure comprehensive community safety.

To support services in safeguarding our communities, people, and organisations across the sector, we have published a suite of safeguarding guidance. On 6th July 2023, Fire and Rescue Authorities were added to schedule 1 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, following campaign efforts from NFCC. This now enables FRSs to be eligible for a Standard level Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check for employees, including volunteers.

NFCC’s dedication extends to supporting the wellbeing and active participation of children and young people (CYP) through various initiatives such as fire cadets, The Prince’s Trust programmes, and early interventions. We have also developed educational resources under the StayWise branding, tailored for schools to empower children and young people in becoming resilient members of their communities. For example, we held the Fire Cadet games in Merseyside, bringing together cadets from all over the country and launched the Cadet Voice. UK FRSs have worked with 325 young people via The Prince’s Trust team, three Get Started and eight Development Award programmes. A total of 20 individual FRSs have been visited to support with The Prince’s Trust partnership.

Protection

NFCC’s Protection team has supported the development of safer and healthier communities by increasing collaboration with partners on a range of specific activities relating to the built environment. In addition, the Protection and the Strategy and Policy teams have also supported government in development of legislation that puts safety of our communities at the forefront of protection activities within fire and rescue services.

In December 2022, we launched our Single Staircases Position Statement, calling on the Government to adopt this position and establish a height limit on single staircases in residential buildings. In March 2023, NFCC joined with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and other leading built environment and fire safety organisations to sign a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This letter supported our calls for the Government to lower the height threshold for more than one staircase in new residential buildings to 18 metres, from the Government’s then proposed 30 metres. In July 2023, we welcomed the Secretary of State’s announcement that the threshold would be set at 18 metres for all new residential buildings in England.

Incorporating multiple staircases will enhance the safety of both residents and firefighters and will help ensure that in the event of a fire, the second staircase removes the risk of a single point of failure, buys critical time for firefighting activities, and provides residents with multiple escape routes.

Protection

The Protection team’s achievements also include, but are not limited to:

Supported government in the development of legislation regarding the new Building Safety Regulator, designed to increase safety within the built environment.
Supported services to prepare to fulfil their duty under the new Building Safety Regulator through setting up a delivery model and providing workshops and ongoing support including updates on the work of the regulator.
Facilitation and support of the Protection uplift grant from the Home Office to services to support the improvement in capacity and capability of protection departments. NFCC has provided support to services to spend allocated grants on innovative initiatives that will benefit the communities and services’ ability to keep them safe.
NFCC provided support to services, as requested, with advice on reviews on buildings of specific concern, facilitating a joined-up approach across the sector to ensure a collaborative approach to community safety.

NFCC has taken the lead in response to new and emerging demands within the sector to provide advice to fire and rescue services and government departments. One example of this was following an incident involving Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). NFCC led a taskforce to coordinate responses across the sector to government in order to provide a coordinated collaborative response and to help ensure confidence within the communities they serve.

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Implementation

Throughout the year, NFCC’s Implementation team has provided tailored support to fire and rescue services, with particular emphasis on those identified by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) as requiring additional assistance. These are highlighted through an analysis and mapping of each inspection report against NFCC products to tailor the response to the needs of the service.

One of the key areas for focus for the team has been supporting work around culture and inclusion, including raising awareness of People, Culture and Leadership products to help services to enact cultural and behavioural change in response to the spotlight report on values and culture from HMICFRS. Workshops to provide implementation support to embed the Fire Standards remains the framework around which all other NFCC products can be introduced and aligned to gaps in service provision.

We have actively engaged with FRSs through various channels, including email, face-toface interactions, and tailored workshops as well as at attendance at national conferences. In the twelve months from April 2023 the team have delivered almost 1400 support and improvement engagements including 160 workshops and 260 service visits. This includes 60 multi-service Fire Standards workshops reaching over 600 people.

These engagements have facilitated a deeper understanding of the specific needs of each service and allowed us to provide targeted guidance and tools to facilitate bespoke continuous improvement solutions and transformational change including through introducing methodologies that use NFCC products to support self-assurance, internal governance, benchmarking, and evaluation.

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Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service
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Fire Standards

NFCC’s Fire Standards team has supported the Fire Standards Board and its independent chair and vice chair in providing fire and rescue services with a suite of Fire Standards for self-assessment to encourage continuous improvement in order to provide an effective and efficient service to the communities they serve.

A review of current standards followed the release of the HMICFRS spotlight report on culture, which led to changes to three Standards: Leading the Service, Leading and Developing People and Safeguarding. All three were published with minor amendments in December 2023.

There have now been 16 Fire Standards

published and in addition to the changes made to the three Standards above, the Fire Control Fire Standard and Communication and Engagement Fire Standard were both launched in April 2023. The next three Standards currently completing consultation and final governance for publication by summer 2024 are Internal Governance and Assurance; Procurement and Commercial; and Digital and Cyber Security, which will bring the initial suite up to 19 Fire Standards.

Moving forward the focus will be on reviewing the current suite of Fire Standards to keep them up to date.

Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT)

Throughout the year, NFCC has made significant strides in advancing our digital, data, technology, and cyber offering to the sector. In collaboration with key partners across NFCC, Home Office, HMICFRS and the wider sector, DDaT have developed a two-year DDaT Strategy and Roadmap that outlines the key priorities to address. The DDaT team have developed a Cyber Action Plan to deliver against the recommendations outlined in the Home Office Cyber Assessment Framework report and has secured additional grant funding from Home Office to support its delivery.

DDaT have established a Memorandum of Understanding with TechUK to build closer relationships with the tech sector to help resolve the fire sector’s biggest data and technology issues. Collaboration with the tech sector will help to identify new solutions to drive efficiencies, competition and increase value for money. To deliver this, a new Fire Innovation Forum has been established with representation from more than 30 data and technology organisations to explore challenges

and opportunities. Collaborative ICT specification development and procurement approaches will provide better value for money, making efficient use of public funds.

A key theme for DDaT is to improve the digital and data literacy of the fire sector. To achieve this, DDaT have established regular online CPD sessions, called Learning Bytes, which are free for fire and rescue service staff to attend. In addition, the team have identified external data masterclasses and digital leadership programmes that will be trialled and considered for integration with the wider leadership development programmes that sit within our People, Culture and Leadership Hub. Improved data management and cyber resilience will better protect the data services hold on their communities. Improved data literacy and data quality allows each FRS to better understand their community and ensure they are providing a quality service that benefits the communities they serve.

Analysis and Insight

We have grown our Analysis and Insights team to increase capacity and capability to provide support to functions within the organisation, as well as supporting Home Office colleagues. We have gathered progress from fire and rescue services in response to inquiry recommendations such as the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 report and Manchester Arena Inquiry to report back to government on the progress and improvement made against the recommendations, ensuring FRSs are held accountable for their performance against these recommendations.

NFCC’s Analysis and Insights team also provides design and facilitation of all surveys going out to FRSs to ensure consistency and compliance with general data protection regulations (GDPR) where appropriate.

Procurement

NFCC has invested in our national commercial hub to enhance procurement efficiency and increase commercial capability across the sector, with a focus on collaboration and data analysis to drive progress. One achievement to note is collaboration between Police, Fire and Ambulance services regarding the procurement of fuel cards which has enabled us to deliver efficiencies for the sector by using spend aggregation data to standardise requirements, removing duplication of work and effort for FRSs in securing such contracts individually. Additionally, we have enabled the provision of management information for individual FRS (and Police and Ambulance) to identify additional savings at a local level and reduced costs through economies of scale.

Our new partner, Blue Light Commercial, is working with us in further progression of the continued collaboration between emergency service procurement, and we look forward to achieving further efficiencies as we move forward together. By providing more collaborative opportunities to enhance efficiencies across the sector we will support services in making best use of their funds and helping to make public money go further.

Conferences and Events

The NFCC Events team has worked across the sector to deliver

An established events programme (15-20 events per year).
Sponsorship packages and partnerships associated with the events programme available to all sector industry.
The Executive Leadership Programme.
Provide professional development for FRS personnel.
Disseminate professional policies, standards and sector relevant updates.
Provide an important platform for FRS personnel and stakeholders to network with their colleagues on a national level.
Provide a source of income to the Association contributing to its sustainability. This enables the Association to continue to drive forward the FRS agenda.
Project key information and a positive external image to stakeholders.

Conferences and Events

In addition to the events programme, we are also rolling out Equality Impact Assessments and Dignity at Work training for all FRSs as part of the wider ongoing work to enable a truly inclusive fire and rescue service.

Our Executive Leadership Programme (ELP) is for aspiring strategic leaders in the FRS. The ELP is now seen by participants and the FRS as a whole, as a crucial element in an individual’s personal development journey. The ELP for the FRS focuses on transformation through development to provide an exciting, stimulating and rewarding experience for all strategic leaders in the FRS in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The programme content is delivered by Warwick Business School and students who pass all five modules leave with a Postgraduate Certificate in Strategic Leadership. The programme is open to both operational and professional fire service staff who already hold a strategic leadership position or are likely to in the near future. This drives the content and approach of the modules and they are continually referenced across all elements of the programme.

In the past year NFCC’s events included:
Data - sharing knowledge and expertise across the sector.
Menopause conference - sharing experience and awareness, using this to inform development of toolkits.
Prevention and Protection - knowledge and skills sharing.
Operational response - identifying challenges, and sharing knowledge and learning.

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Influence

NFCC works through its Strategy & Policy and Communications & Public Affairs teams to influence change in the external environment on behalf of NFCC’s members in order to shape legislation, regulation and policy change to support fire and rescue services and the communities they serve.

This includes the delivery of a number of national campaigns focusing on issues such as water safety, wildfires, and electrical fire safety.

We responded to 49 public consultations across Government departments and the wider fire sector. We also responded to the Public Accounts Committee’s inquiry into Government resilience in the face of extreme weather events, highlighting a variety of issues FRSs face related to climate change, wildfires, flooding, and inland water safety and rescue. Written evidence was also submitted into the Covid-19 inquiry.

The two teams supported the NFCC Chair and National Leads throughout the year with numerous briefings to aid attendance at committee appearances, including the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee and Women and Equalities Committee, the Senedd Equality and Social Justice Committee, and the London Assembly Fire, Resilience and Emergency Planning Committee. We also provided follow-up support with evidence and written submissions.

Influence

In 2023/24, we successfully influenced the Government to introduce a requirement for residential buildings above 18m to have more than one staircase. In Q4, we produced an opinion paper on multiple routes for evacuation to assist FRSs, with an accompanying explanatory news article on the NFCC website. We also provided a briefing for the Fire Minister on fires in tall buildings in other countries and how UK FRS incorporate learning.

We have provided dedicated campaign support on areas of emerging risk, such as emerging tech. We provide a briefing for the Chair on portable light electric vehicles to support attendance at a ministerial roundtable in Q3 and have given support to key partners such as Electrical Safety First to bring in regulation to improve the safety of e-bikes and e-scooters.

We also offered support to Greenwich University’s Fire Safety Engineering Group’s bid to the Expanding Excellence in England (E3) fund. The University subsequently received £9 million from the E3 fund for its work into fire safety modelling.

The Strategy and Policy team coordinated the launch of the 2023-26 NFCC Member Strategy and a business partnering guide for NFCC staff and members. In Q3, the two teams worked together to launch a new product for members and NFCC staff, called Quick Fire Politics which provides members with a weekly political update to ensure that they are up to date with key developments in the external environment that relates to their work.

Looking forward: Future Plans

We will continue to support the work of UK fire and rescue services, helping them to develop and improve so that they can efficiently and effectively serve their communities, helping to keep them safe.

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Fire Cadets
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Key priorities for the coming year include:

People, Leadership, Culture, and Inclusion including delivery against NFCC’s Culture Action Plan.
Contaminants.
Implementing Organisational Learning Review and wider programme of guidance.
Organisational learning and research.
Prevention Programme including work around safeguarding.
Protection programme.
Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations and Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Principles (JESIP).
Grenfell Tower Inquiry Recommendations.
Development of National Commercial hub, including transition into Blue Light Commercial (BLC).
On Call – review and development.
Implementation of Digital Transformation and DDaT programmes; embedding of Data and Insights function.
NFCC Improvement Support and wider sector improvement offer.
Strengthen and develop NFCC Membership Engagement.
Fire Reform – next steps with the White Paper.
Comms and Public Affairs including General Election.
Finance – preparation for Spending Review / Comprehensive Spending Review.

Please see our corporate business plan for more information.

Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees (who are also directors of the National Fire Chiefs Council Limited for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the group and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable group for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

a) select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

b) observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP (FRS 102)

c) make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.

d)state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures being disclosed and explained in the financial statements.

e) prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and the group; hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the reparation and dissemination of the financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Public benefit statement

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.

The Association’s public benefit is enshrined in its charitable objects as outlined in the Vision, Mission and Values section of this report.

Statement as to disclosure of information to auditors

So far as each of the directors is aware, there is no relevant information that has not been disclosed to the company’s auditors and each of the directors believe that all steps have been taken that ought to have been taken to make them aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditors have been made aware of that information.

In accordance with section 485 of the Companies Act 2006 a resolution to reappoint CLA Evelyn Partners Limited will be proposed at the Annual General Meeting.

Directors

The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of the signature of the financial statements were as follows:

N. Ross (Independent) (appointed 1 April 2023)

R. Thomas (Fire and Rescue Service)
R. Haggart (Fire and Rescue Service)

A. Roe (Fire and Rescue Service)

L. Taylor (Fire and Rescue Service)
C. Skinner (Independent)

D. Stout (Independent)

D. Wood (Independent)
S. Dickinson (Fire and Rescue Service) (appointed 13 September 2023)
W. Bowcock (Fire and Rescue Service)
K. Eason (Fire and Rescue Service) (resigned 22 June 2023)
S. Hancock (Independent)

The Trustees’ Annual Report has been prepared by incorporating the Report of the

Directors for the purpose of company law.

The Trustees’ Report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf on 9th October 2024

Nick Ross, Chair of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

Senior Responsible Officer (SRO)

Chief Executive Officer/Company Secretary, Susannah Hancock

Acknowledgments

The Trustees gratefully acknowledge the indispensable support and expertise generously offered by our UK FRS colleagues, as well as the invaluable contributions of individuals within the UK FRS who actively participate in the working groups within the committees. Without their collaboration and dedication, the strategic aims, and objectives of NFCC would not be attainable. Additionally, we express our gratitude for the support provided by government departments, further enhancing our ability to fulfil our mission, deliver on shared priorities and foster continuous improvement throughout the sector.

Audit report and financial statements

Financial Review

1.1 The net deficit for the year is £228,291 (2023: deficit £851,391). This decreases NFCC's net assets to £3,074,923 (2023: £3,303,214) of which £184,171 (2023: £0) is designated funds for specified projects and investments considered to be long term. £287,137 (2023: £370,452) is restricted funds as explained in note 15. General reserves have decreased to £2,603,615 (2023: £2,932,762).
1.2 The charity currently forecasts that the unrestricted reserves will decrease slightly in 2024/25 due to the use of reserves for the development of the charity.

Investment Policy

1.3 To make the most of reserves, Trustees have agreed on a balanced approach to its investments:
a) 50/50 split between capital growth and income
b) An overall medium risk profile

The charity will be moving around £2m of its reserves to investment managers Cazenove in year ending March 2025 from our current investment managers CCLA. A tender process was undertaken to choose the most appropriate investment manager for its reserves to support its reserves policy as well as receive an income.

Reserves Policy

1.4 The NFCC trustees will consider the risks, including financial risks, facing the charity at each quarterly Trustee Board meeting and will ensure that systems and procedures are established to mitigate any risks identified through the NFCC risk management policy.
1.5 Short term financial risks to the charity could include costs such as unforeseen legal costs, the impact of industrial action and where other emergency action is needed. Longer term financial risks could include reduction in government grant income; reduction in membership subscriptions etc.
1.6 To ensure the charity can meet its commitments, the trustees have considered the level of free reserves necessary to meet any changes in income to maintain our level of activity and fund any transition period.

It is the policy of the Trustees:

a) To hold a risk reserve to enable the charity to continue to operate during an incident creating unbudgeted costs. The trustees have concluded that this be a minimum of £500,000.

b) To hold a general operating reserves equivalent to 3-6 months of NFCC’s general revenue expenditure reported in the previous audited accounts.
c) To hold winding up costs to cover legal costs and redundancy payments if the charity must close. See 2.3 below.
d) Any remaining reserves to be held in an organisation development fund to support the organisational structure changes currently taking place.

Reserves Calculation

2.1 At the balance sheet date 31 March 2024, NFCC held ‘free’ reserves, defined as unrestricted funds less designated reserves of £2,605,875.
2.2 The unrestricted expenditure for 2023-24 totalled £3,700,37. 3 months equals £925,592 and 6 months £1,851,184.
2.3 Winding-up costs are calculated as follows:
a) Statutory redundancy payment amount x number of employees with over 2 years’ service by the end of the next financial year (54). This amount would be re-calculated on at least an annual basis linked to employee numbers.
b) Plus, legal fees of £20,000.

The Trustees have allocated the following sums:

1. Risk reserve 2. General operating reserve 3. Winding-up costs 4. Organisation development fund Total reserves	£500,000 £1,630,615 £473,000 £0
	£2,603,615

With these reserves in place, the trustees are satisfied that financial risks can be appropriately managed. The trustees intend to sustain the risk reserve at a minimum of £500,000 and the general operating reserve at 3 to 6 months of revenue expenditure. The winding-up costs will be calculated annually in line with statutory redundancy total amount payable and relevant staff numbers.

Designated funds represent amounts that have been put aside out of unrestricted funds at the discretion of the trustees for projects. The designation is for administrative purposes only and does not legally restrict the trustees’ discretion to apply the fund.

Diversifying risk

3.1 As good practice NFCC will reduce the risk to its ‘front line reserves’ by investing in more than one banking institution (see investment policy)

Policy Review

4.1 This policy is to be reviewed at least annually by the finance and audit committee to ensure that it meets with the current needs of the charity and any amendments are to be agreed by the trustees.

Fundraising

1.7 The trustees take their responsibility under the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 seriously and have considered the implications on their activities. The charity does not raise funds directly from the general public and does not actively solicit donations. The charity only works with commercial sponsors where seeking support for NFCC events. Where commercial sponsorship is arranged for an event, such as the Autumn Conference, a clear contract is in place between the charity and the commercial sponsor. The trustees are not aware of any complaints made in respect of fundraising during the period.

Remuneration policy – key management personnel (KMP)

1.8 For the purposes of this policy, KMP are the senior staff members to which the trustees have delegated authority for day to day management of the charity.
1.9 The remuneration and the other terms of employment should be sufficient to attract, retain and motivate KMP, take account of the responsibilities and expectations of each role and pay due regard to NFCC as a charity exclusively supporting public sector organisations.
1.10 The charity is employed a third-party professional for role evaluation and remuneration benchmarking linked to the external market. For some roles, for example secondments or appointments related to established national terms and conditions, the remuneration and terms and conditions will be determined by reference to national agreements.
1.11 Appointments at KMP level, including recruiting to vacancies as well as new posts, will be agreed by the trustees.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Independent auditor’s report

to the members of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise Statement of Financial Activity, Statement of Financial Position, Statement of Cash Flow and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:
give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2024, and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and;
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Independent auditor’s report to the members of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees' annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

the information given in the trustees' report, which includes the strategic report and the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the trustees' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report included within the trustees' report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Independent auditor’s report to the members of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

Auditor responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below.

We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework applicable to both the charitable company itself and the industry in which it operates. We identified areas of laws and regulations that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our sector experience and through discussion with the directors and other management. The most significant were identified as the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, UK GAAP (FRS102) and relevant tax legislation. We considered the extent of compliance with those laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statements. Our audit procedures included:

Confirming revenue recognised directly to third party documentation to ensure correct cut off with regards to grant revenue recognition has been applied;
obtaining an understanding of the internal controls including IT controls established to mitigate risks related to fraud or non - compliance with laws and regulations;
assessing the risk of management override by identifying and testing a sample of journal entries;
enquiries with management as to any actual or suspected fraud, or non-compliance with laws and regulations at both the planning and completion stage;
assessing the risk of misappropriation of assets including identifying and testing a sample of cash payments and receipts

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC's website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditors/auditassurance/auditor-s-responsibilities-for-the-audit-of-the-fi/description-of-the-auditor%E2%80%99s-responsibilitiesforThis description forms part of our auditor’s report.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Independent auditor’s report to the members of National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Craig Henderson (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of CLA Evelyn Partners Limited

…4 November 2024…..

17 Queens Lane Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1RN

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Statement of Financial Activities (including the income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2024

		Unrestricted	Designated	Restricted	Total	Total
		funds	funds	funds	2024	2023
	Notes	£	£	£	£	£
Income from:
Charitable activities	3	2,604,815	-	6,892,121	9,496,936	10,916,338
Other Trading Activities	4	1,083,137	-	-	1,083,137	1,335,658
Investment income	5	73,991	-	-	73,991	28,508
		_	_	_	_	_
Total income		3,761,943	-	6,892,121	10,654,064	12,280,504
		_	_	_	_	_
Expenditure on:
Trading activities		884,946	-	-	884,946	1,035,193
Charitable Activities		2,817,421	204,552	6,975,436	9,997,409	12,096,701
		_	_	_	_	_
Total expenditure	6	3,702,367	204,552	6,975,436	10,882,355	13,131,894
		_	_	_	_	_
Net income/expenditure
before transfers		59,576	( 204,552)	(83,315)	(228,291)	(851,390)
Transfers	15	(388,723)	388,723	-	-	-
		_	_	_	_	_
Net income/expenditure		(329,147)	184,171	(83,315)	(228,291 ) ( 851,390 )
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward		2,932,762	-	370,452	3,303,214	4,154,604
		_	_	_	_	_
Total funds carried forward		2,603,615	184,171	287,137	3,074,923	3,303,214
		_	_	_	_	_

There have been no recognised gains or losses other than the above surplus. All income and expenditure derives from continuing activities.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024

	Notes			2024			2023
			£	£		£	£
Current assets
Investments		1,076,524	1,076,524		1,026,615	1,026,615
Debtors	9	2,960,254	2,960,254		4,143,597	4,143,597
Cash at bank and in hand		1,149,897	1,149,897		2,423,904	2,423,904
		5,186,675	5,186,675		7,594,116	7,594,116
Liabilities:
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year	10	(2,111,752 )	(2,111,752 )	(2,111,752 )	( 4,290,902 )	( 4,290,902 )
Net current assets				3,074,923			3,303,214
The funds of the charity
Restricted funds				287,137			30,452
Unrestricted funds				2,603,615			2,932,762
Designated				184,171
	15			3,074,923			3,303,214

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

11th July App: by th tees on ................................. 2024 and signed on their behatt by,

....... .

Chair

Company Number 03677186 Charity Number 1074071

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31 March 2024

Cash flow from operating activities Net expenditure Interest receivable Decrease in debtors Decrease in creditors less than one year *Net cash flow from operating activities* Cash flow from investing activities Interest received *Net cash from investing activities* Decrease in cash in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the start of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year	2024 £ (228,291) (73,991) 1,183,343 (2,179,150) _ (1,298,089) *73,991* 73,991 _ (1,224,098) 3,450,519 __ 2,226,421	2023 £ (879,899) - 207,007 (552,099) _ (1,224,991) *28,508* 28,508 _ (1,196,483) 4,647,002 __ 3,450,519	2023 £ (879,899) - 207,007 (552,099) _ (1,224,991) *28,508* 28,508 _ (1,196,483) 4,647,002 __ 3,450,519

			4,647,002 __ 3,450,519

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

1. Accounting Policies

1.1 Company information

The National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (NFCC Limited) is incorporated in England and Wales as a registered charity, number 1074071 and a limited company, number 03677186. The registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.

The Charity has charitable status and is thus exempt from taxation of its income and gains falling within Section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that they are applied to its charitable objectives.

The Charity is limited by guarantee and does not have a share capital divided into shares. In the event of a Winding Up Order, each member of the Association guarantees to pay during their membership and for one year after membership ceases, a sum not exceeding £10 to the Association. Any surplus on Winding Up is to go to a charity having objects of a similar nature.

1.2 Basis of preparation

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable United Kingdom accounting standards, including Financial Reporting standard 102 – ‘The Financial reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland’ (FRS102)

The charity is a public benefit entity for the purposes of FRS 102. The charity has therefore also prepared these financial statements in accordance with ‘The Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with FRS 102’ (Charities SORP (FRS 102)).

The particular accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statement are as follows:

1.3 Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical basis except for the modification to a fair value basis for certain financial instruments as specified in the accounting policies below.

1.4 Going Concern

The Trustees have considered the operating position of the charity for 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years and remain of the opinion that there are no material uncertainties regarding the Charities ability to continue as a going concern.

1.5 Tangible fixed assets

Assets are capitalised when they cost more than £2,000 and are expected to have a useful life of 3 years or more. All other costs are written off as expenditure as incurred.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

1.6 Financial Instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with except for bank loans which are subsequently measure at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

1.7 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount is offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trad discounts due.

1.8 Creditors and provision for liabilities

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in a transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

The charity recognises a provision for annual leave accrued by the employees because of the services rendered in the current period and which employees are entitled to carry forward and use within the next 12 months. The provision is measured at the salary cost payable for the period of absence.

1.9 Incoming resources

Income from investment and gift aid is included gross and is accounted for when it is receivable or the Charity’s right to it becomes legally enforceable.

1.10 Grants receivable

Grants receivable are accounted for when there is sufficient information to enable the claim to be made or the claim has been made and there is clear indication to suggest the claim will be met.

1.11 Membership income, fees, and other income

All such income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

1.12 Deferred income

Subscriptions are paid by members on an annual basis and fees are paid for seminars held and publications produced by the charity. The amounts received are treated as deferred income until the period to which the subscriptions and seminars relate to commences.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

1.13 Allocation of costs

The Charity’s operating costs include staff costs, overheads, and other related costs. Such costs are allocated between costs of charitable activities and cost of generating funds. Where individual costs for each category are not easily identified such as overhead costs, these are apportioned on the basis of percentage of direct charitable cost to each cost category.’

1.14 Governance costs

Governance costs represent the costs of running the charity as a legal entity and include the costs of audit, costs of trustees’ meetings and costs of complying with statutory records.

1.15 Employee benefits

Short term employee benefits and contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as an expense in the period in which they are incurred.

The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for the benefit of its employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from the Charity in independently administered funds.

1.16 Irrecoverable VAT

The charity is unable to recover 100% of input VAT incurred. Irrecoverable VAT is allocated to the appropriate cost categories.

1.17 Fund accounting

The Charity maintains various types of funds as follows:

1.18 Restricted funds

Restricted funds represent funds which are allocated by the donor for specific purposes.

1.19 Unrestricted funds

Designated funds represent amounts which have been put aside out of unrestricted funds at the discretion of the trustees for fixed assets, specified projects and investments considered to be long term. The designation is for administrative purposes only and does not legally restrict the trustees’ discretion to apply the funds.

General Unrestricted funds represent amounts which are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the charity.

1.20 Judgements in applying accounting policies and key sources of estimation uncertainty

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent form the other sources. The estimates are associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates are underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods. The trustees consider that there are no significant estimates or judgments in the preparation of financial statements.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

2. Comparative Statement of Financial Activities

		Restricted	Unrestricted	Total	Total
		funds	funds	2023	2022
	Notes	£	£	£	£
Income from:
Charitable activities	5	8,337,587	2,578,750	10,916,337 11,549,013
Other trading activities		82,993	1,252,665	1,335,658	847,075
Investment income		-	28,508	28,508	3,805
		_	_	_	_
Total income		8,420,580	3,859,923	12,280,503 12,399,893
		_	_	_	_
Expenditure on:
Trading activities		-	1,035,193	1,035,193	575,331
Charitable activities	6	8,337,587	3,759,114	12,096,701 11,626,879
		_	_	_	_
Total expenditure		8,337,587	4,794,307	13,131,894 12,202,210
		_	_	_	_
Net movement before transfers		82,993	( 934,384 )	( 851,391 )	197,683
		_	_	_	_
Net movement in funds		82,993	( 934,384 )	( 851,391 )	193,683
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward		287,459	3,867,146	4,154,605	3,956,922
		_	_	_	_
Total funds carried forward		370,452 _	2,932,762 _	3,303,214 _	4,154,605 _

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

3. Analysis of Charitable Activity income

3.	Analysis of Charitable Activity income
			2024	2023
			£	£
	Grants		6,892,121	8,337,587
	Donations		1,943	-
	Corporate Subscription Income		2,602,872	2,578,750
			_	_
			9,496,936	10,916,337
			_	_
4.	Analysis of Other Trading Income
			2024	2023
			£	£
	Commercial membership		94,925	-
	Events and Training		764,150	721,910
	Other		224,062	613,748
			_	_
			1,083,137	1,335,658
			_	_
5.	Investment Income
			2024	2023
			£	£
	Bank Interest		73,991	28,508
			_	_
			73,991	28,508
			_	_
6.	Resources Expended
		Direct	Support	2024
		costs	costs	Total
	Costs of Generating funds:	£	£	£
	Trading expenses	884,946	-	884,946
	Charitable Activities:
	Professional services	995,154	80,435	1,075,589
	Strategy, Insight & Portfolio	1,566,161	90,897	1,657,058
	Continuous Improvement	5,716,452	233,021	5,949,473
	CEO & Comm	1,055,055	51,122	1,106,177
	Governance	150,011	59,101	209,112
		_	_	_
	Total Expenditure on Generating Funds	10,367,779	514,576	10,882,355
	and Charitable Activities	_	_	_

As the charity have gone through a restructuring exercise, categories of expenditure reporting have changed. As a result, there is no direct comparative on expenditure categories. The current year disclosure represents how expenditure has been reported following the restructure and how it is expected to be reported by the entity in future periods.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

		Direct	Support	2023
		costs	costs	Total
	Costs of Generating funds:	£	£	£
	Trading expenses	1,035,193	-	1,035,193
	Charitable Activities:
	Leadership	3,080,258	491,520	3,571,778
	Professional Advice	3,247,168	620,405	3,867,573
	Communications	3,144,555	502,111	3,646,666
	Member Development	394,052	512,335	906,387
	Governance	83,376	20,921	104,297
		_	_	_
	Total Expenditure on Generating Funds	10,984,602	2,147,292	13,131,894
	and Charitable Activities	_	_	_
7.	Wages and salarie
			2024	2023
			£	£
	Salary costs		5,034,475	2,388,461
	Social security costs		542,930	274,165
	Pension costs		356,166	56,367
			______	_
			5,933,571	2,718,993
			_	_

No Trustees or person related or connected by business to them, has received any remuneration from the charity during the year. During the year, the total expenses reimbursed Trustees amounted to £4,043 (2023 £1,172) in respect of travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses incurred in fulfilling their duties.

During the year £591,373 (2023 £550,492) was paid for key management personnel of the charity.

Details of the employees paid for than £60,000 in the year ended 31 March 2024 are given below:

	2024	2023
Between £60,001 and £70,000	9	3
Between £70,001 and £80,000	5	1
Between £80,001 and £90,000	0	2
Between £90,001 and £100,00	2	0
Between £100,001 and £110,000	1	1
Between £120,001 and £130,000	0	0
Between £170,000 and £180,000	1	1

8. Auditors Remuneration

Auditors remuneration

2024 2023 £ 12,500 14,500 _ _

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited

(a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

9. Debtors

Debtors
	2024	2023
	£	£
Trade Debtors	768,766	411,732
Prepayments and Accrued Income	2,191,488	3,723,107
Other debtors	-	8,758
	_	_
	2,960,254	4,413,597
	_	_
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
	2024	2023
	£	£
Trade Creditors	877,733	707,424
Accruals	643,041	3,249,651
Deferred Income	238,938	196,800
Other creditors	352,040	137,027
	_	_
	2,111,752	4,290,902
	_	_
Financial Assets / (Liabilities) measured at cost
	2024	2023
	£	£
Investments	1,076,524	1,026,615
Cash in the bank and in hand	1,149,897	2,423,904
Debtors	768,766	420,490
Creditors	(1,229,773)	(844,451)
	_	_

10. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

11. Financial Assets / (Liabilities) measured at cost

12. Analysis of changes in net debt

Analysis of changes in net debt
	As at		As at
	1 April	Cash	31 March
	2023	Flows	2024
	£	£	£
Cash	2,423,904	( 1,274,007 )	1,149,897
Investments	1,026,615	49,909	1,076,524
	_	_	_
Cash and Equivalents	3,450,519	( 1,224,098 )	2,226,421
	_	_	_

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

13. Financial Commitments

Contractual financial Commitments

2024 2023 140,402 293,103 _ _

14. Analysis of charity net assets between funds

Year ended 31 March 2024

Year ended 31 March 2024
	General	Restricted	Designated	Total
	Fund	Funds	Funds	2024
	£	£	£	£
Investments	1,076,524	-	-	1,076,524
Debtors	922,429	2,037,825	-	2,960,254
Cash at bank and in hand	764,057	169,788	216,052	1,149,897
Current liabilities	(159,395)	(1,920,476)	(31,881)	(2,111,752)
	_	_	_	_
	2,603,615	287,137	184,171	3,074,923
	_	_	_	_
Year ended 31 March 2023
	General	Restricted	Designated	Total
	fund	funds	funds	2023
	£	£	£	£
Investments	1,026,615	-	-	1,026,615
Debtors	875,347	3,268,249	-	4,143,596
Cash at bank and in hand	2,475,007	(51,103)	-	2,423,904
Current liabilities	(1,444,207)	(2,846,694)	-	(4,290,901)
	_	_	_	_
	2,932,762	370,452	-	3,303,214
	_	_	_	_

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

15.

Statement of funds
Year ended 31 March 2024
At 1 April
At 31 March
2023
Income Expenditure Transfers
2024
£
£
£
£
£
Unrestricted funds
General Funds
2,932,762 3,761,943 ( 3,702,367 ) ( 388,723 )
2,603,615
Designated funds
Digital
-
-
( 204,552 )
388,723
184,171
_ _
_ _
_
Total
2,932,762 3,761,943 ( 3,906,919 )
-
2,787,786
_ _
_
_
__
Restricted funds
Youth United funding
10,000
-
-
-
10,000
Research and Development funding
170,472
-
( 322 )
-
170,150
Children and young people
9,697
-
-
-
9,697
Home Office
- 6,892,121 ( 6,892,121 )
-
-
CSR
97,290
-
-
-
97,290
EPA
82,993
-
( 82,993 )
-
-
_ _
_ _
_
Total restricted funds
370,452 6,892,121 ( 6,975,436 )
-
287,137
_ _
_ _
_
Total funds
3,303,214 10,654,064 ( 10,882,355 )
-
3,074,923
_ _
_
_
_
Year ended 31 March 2023_
At 1 April
At 31 March
2022
Income Expenditure Transfers
2023
Unrestricted funds
General Funds
3,867,146 3,859,923 ( 4,794,307 )
-
2,932,762
_ _
_ _
_
Total
3,867,146 3,859,923 ( 4,794,307 )
-
2,932,762
_ _
_
_
_
Restricted funds
Youth United funding
10,000
-
-
-
10,000
Research and Development funding
170,472
-
-
-
170,472
Children and young people
9,697
-
-
-
9,697
Home Office
- 8,337,587 ( 8,337,587 )
-
-
CSR
97,290
-
-
-
97,290
EPA
-
82,993
-
-
82,993
_ _
_ _
_
Total restricted funds
287,459 8,420,580 ( 8.337.587 )
-
370.452
_ _
_ _
____
Total funds
4,154,605 12,280,503 ( 13.131.894 )
-
3,303.214

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited (a company limited by guarantee and not having a share capital)

Notes to the Financial Statements (Continued) for the year ended 31 March 2024

16. Related party transactions

There have been no transactions incurred with related parties during the period other than Trustee expenses which have been disclosed in note 7.

National Fire Chiefs Council Limited Company Registration No. 3677186 (England and Wales) Registered Charity No. 1074071