'We have strong teams in place and everyone is striving to improve and learn lessons' - West Midlands fire chiefs meet to discuss improvement plan
The chair of a committee leading a review into a governance improvement plan for the West Midlands Fire Service Authority says 'public accountability is key'.
A special meeting of the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority (WMFRA) took place at its headquarters in Birmingham today (Monday) and approved the plan.
The plan was compiled by Ed Hammond, deputy chief executive of the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CFGS) and the meeting heard elements have already been put in place including a robust policy on whistleblowing within the service.
It followed a review by external auditors Grant Thornton which identified significant weaknesses, including breaches in the process of suspension of a senior officer last year and failure to comply with its responsibilities in checking out the educational qualifications of former chief Wayne Brown who took his own life whilst still in service.
An inquest into his death took place in May
Zoe Billingham CBE, who chairs the improvement board and is a former Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue, addressed the meeting, saying they needed to take ownership of the report and be robust in implementing its findings.
She said: "We need to focus on the findings, have a plan for their implementation and make sure that the public are aware of the work that is going on to improve the governance of the authority - that is key. It has already started and further steps will be taken in the next few months.
"This is likely to last at least until the end of the year by which time the findings of the report will need to have been acted on and most importantly we will have a plan going forward to make sure things don't slip back.
"What we don't want is a bunch of strangers coming together and all having different ways of implementing improvements that are needed to be made.
"So far we have all worked well together but it is important to note that it will take time to regain the trust and confidence of the public in the way the authority governs the fire and rescue service as there is no doubt it has been damaged in the last few years or we wouldn't be here today."
Chief officer of the service Simon Tuhill said they were still in 'challenging times' and faced many challenges ahead but they had a forward plan in meeting them whilst going about the day to day challenges of operations.
He said: "We have strong teams in place and everyone is striving to improve and learn lessons but it is important we have a forward plan that we can work on and implement within the framework of the authority."
Mr Tuhill said a recruitment drive to appoint a deputy chief fire officer had not yet identified 'the right fit' for the service despite some strong candidates and that Simon Barry, who was appointed as interim in April 2024 would continue in the role for now.
