CLEVELAND Fire Brigade may make a bid for £50,000 from a fund to help fight internal bullying and improve the skills of its officers.

The fire authority will meet today to discuss a proposal to bid for money from the Partnership at Work Fund.

The Government fund was set up to support change within organisations to ensure different groups, such as unions, work together to develop better employment relations.

The Government is providing £5m over the next four years to support projects across the country that encourage job satisfaction and productivity.

The Cleveland brigade is keen to cash in on the benefits of having a satisfied workforce and wants to encourage a good balance between work and home life.

Cleveland's Chief Fire Officer John Doyle said: "Partnership at Work is about enabling change to be implemented within the organisation through consultation and involvement of employers, emphasising shared culture and learning, helping to improve the balance between work and home and recognising the rights and responsibilities of both management and employees.

"Priority will be given to projects designed to develop partnership and to tackle employment issues in the workplace, especially bullying, skills and work and life balance."

The partners involved in the fire authority bid will be Cleveland Fire Brigade, the Fire Brigades Union, Unison and Drummond and Company.

Drummond is a Newcastle company that specialises in projects that promote cultural change and personal development through training.

If the fire authority agrees to go ahead with bid for the money, it will have to prove that the project would not go ahead without the Government funding and that new technology would be used to improve working relations.

The bid for the new partnership project follows plans for a 24-hour helpline and a consultative service to help solve problems between staff in the Cleveland brigade.

The helpline was set up to tackle issues such as racism, sexual discrimination, bullying and harassment.

Tyne and Wear Fire Brigade was the first in the country to introduce a helpline for its crews.

If the decision to make a bid is taken today, an application will be submitted to the Government by May 25.