In January 2024 a report into the culture at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) revealed “serious deficiencies” in the service including the behaviour of staff, and the ‘toleration of problematic behaviours’ such as sexual harassment, racism and discrimination.
The report prompted the Welsh Government to take unprecedented action and intervene in the governance of South Wales FRS. It also shone a light onto the governance arrangements of Welsh Fire and Rescue Services and prompted the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee to carry out an inquiry into this issue.
Ahead of the Plenary debate on the Committee’s report on 9 October, this article looks at the evidence received during that inquiry and the case for change.
SWFRS report warns of “serious failings”
The Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) provides a vital service to communities throughout Wales. As an emergency service it’s also a major employer, with over 3,500 staff employed across the three Welsh Fire and Rescue Authorities (South, Mid and West and North Wales).
Following an ITV News report which highlighted examples of inappropriate behaviours, South Wales FRS commissioned an independent cultural review.
Focusing on SWFRS only, the Review, led by Chairperson Fenella Morris KC, found:
(…) serious failings in the Service’s policies, procedures, and systems, and real suffering on the part of those affected by the poor behaviour of others [ …] things have gone wrong, and that has had a negative impact on the Service’s key asset – it’s people.
On 6 February the then Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, Hannah Blythyn MS, said she was “taking decisive action to the fullest extent of the powers that I have to do so” and
issued a direction to South Wales FRA that all its functions should be exercised by four commissioners.
A decade of missed opportunities?
The subsequent Senedd Committee inquiry and report into this issue looked Wales wide.
Whilst, the FRS is under the day-to-day control of officers employed by the service, the Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the governance and strategic direction of FRSs. FRAs comprise a maximum of 25 elected members who are appointed by the Constituent Authorities.
With a focus on the governance arrangements the Committee concluded that the findings identified in the review are “almost certainly a reflection of deficiencies in the overall governance of an organisation”. It found there “have been numerous attempts to reform FRAs over the past decade with only limited success”.
- In April 2013 the then First Minister established the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery, tasked with examining all aspects of governance and delivery in the devolved public sector in Wales. The Commission report raised issues around the capability of the three FRAs to effectively scrutinise the FRSs.
- The Fire and Rescue National Framework was published in November 2015 and sets out what the Welsh Government expects of the FRAs and how they should promote improvement, efficiency and innovation. The Framework has not been updated since.
- In 2017, the then Cabinet Secretary for Children and Families described the structure and governance of the FRSs as not “fit for purpose” to drive the strategic change needed.
- In 2018 the Welsh Government consulted on reform of FRAs and in July 2019 published a summary which found that “most responses supported the broad case for change, although the FRAs themselves generally did not”.
- In January 2020 the Welsh Government published a progress report which identified some areas where the FRAs need to take action. This included spending too much time responding to false alarms. The report stated that they “could do more to compare their costs with others and to identify any scope for savings”.
- In April 2022 the then Deputy Minister, Hannah Blythyn MS said she
aimed to publish the next iteration of the Framework by 2022-23, however this didn’t happen and the 2015 Framework remains in place.
Senedd Committee concludes “no change at all is not a credible option”
Several organisations including representative bodies such as the Fire Brigades Union and Fire and Rescue Services Association expressed concerns to the Equality and Social Justice Committee that issues in South Wales are likely to be replicated in the other FRSs. The organisation representing
women in the fire service said it had been “questioning for decades the need for change and supporting women” arguing that “there is now a clear national and collective drive for culture change within the fire sector”.
Given these concerns, Members of the Committee were therefore pleased that, during the course of the inquiry, the Deputy Minister announced that both Mid and West Wales and North Wales FRS would carry out an independent review into their culture and values. The reports are expected in 2025.
The Committee heard concerns about the structure of the FRAs and their effectiveness in holding the FRSs to account, particularly given the size of the membership of FRAs and their members’ lack of expertise. The Fire and Rescue Services Association said that many FRA members find:
… the male dominance of services and the disciplinarian regime reassuring and were well-meaning amateurs, with no experience of driving through cultural change in any organisation, let alone an emergency service.
While the Committee was convinced that reform of the governance model was required, there was arguably limited evidence of consensus about what form that change should take. However, the Committee was clear that this shouldn’t be a barrier and that more work to explore the options for change is needed. The Chair of the Committee, Jenny Rathbone MS said:
We urge the Welsh Government to take radical steps to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of the governance structure – no change is not an option.
Alarm bells in English Fire and Rescue Services
Concerns around the culture of FRSs isn’t just an issue in Wales. In March 2023 HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFS), which inspects FRSs in England, published a report on culture and values which found bullying, harassment, and discrimination in over half of England’s FRSs. Aware of this report, the Welsh Government wrote to FRAs to seek confirmation and assurance that the FRAs in Wales had noted and accepted the recommendations in the HMICFS report and set out the actions Chief Fire Officers would take to implement them, despite the HMICFS report applying in England only.
Running alongside the Senedd Committee’s inquiry, the UK Parliament Home Affairs Select Committee also carried out an inquiry into the culture in the FRS. In a letter to the UK Government in May 2024, the Chair of that Committee referred to the evidence it had heard which she said “[leaves] us in no doubt that the fire and rescue service in England is institutionally misogynistic, racist and homophobic”. The Committee recommendations fell short of asking for a change in the Governance of FRAs but did call for more enforcement powers for the inspectorate (HMICFRS) and recommended the Local Government Association update the guidance that it provides to FRAs about accountability and oversight of leadership.
Welsh Government commits to reform
Throughout the Senedd Committee inquiry the Welsh Government voiced its own concerns about the culture and governance of FRSs. The then Cabinet Secretary, Julie James MS, told the Committee that developments across the FRSs “demonstrate the consequences of defective governance and poor accountability”. It’s therefore unsurprising that in July
the Welsh Government accepted in principle all of the Committee’s recommendations and conclusions.
In September 2024, Audit Wales published its review into the governance arrangements in Wales’ FRAs which identified issues and supported the Committee’s calls for a review. It also shared concerns about the expertise of FRA members and recommended strengthening the provision of training and development for members.
The Committee recognised that change would take time and the Welsh Government should “focus on questions about the fundamental role of the fire service in 10, 15, and 20 years” and agreed that “securing a mandate for any future reforms will be key”. However, to echo the words of the Chair, it was clear that “no change is not an option”.
Article by Claire Thomas, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
