Plans for West Midlands Mayor to manage fire service hit the buffers
Plans for the Mayor's office to take over fire services in the West Midlands appear to have hit the buffers after council leaders kiboshed the move.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has proposed transferring the governance of West Midlands Fire Service in a bid to offer better value for money.
But the Express & Star understands the plan is likely to be thrown out when it goes to a vote of council bosses, with Labour leaders in Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Birmingham and Coventry ready to oppose it.
The proposal has met with strong opposition from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which described it as a "power grab" from Conservative Mayor Andy Street that would "revoke democratic control" of the service.
The WMCA say the move, which they insist was not a mayoral proposal, remains the subject of "an ongoing discussion".
Andrew Scattergood, FBU West Midlands secretary, said: “Andy Street needs to realise that his takeover bid is dead in the water.
"The body that governs the fire service needs to be democratic and accountable to the communities we serve, and the proposal by the Mayor’s office fell short of having any credibility.
“Firefighters risk their lives every single day. They need to have confidence that the people that govern their service are not just making the right decisions, but are being held accountable to their actions.
"This proposal was nothing more than a self-indulgent power grab that wasn’t in the interests of firefighters or the public.”
A spokesperson for the WMCA said: “The proposal to transfer the governance of the West Midlands Fire Service to the West Midlands Combined Authority is not a mayoral proposal as it pre-dates the election of the Mayor in May 2017.
"It is the subject of ongoing discussion with council leaders and a final decision is expected shortly."
Approval from all seven local authorities in the region is required for the takeover bid to go ahead.
The scheme went out for consultation last year and has since been the subject of a Parliamentary order setting out the proposed transfer of powers.
It had initially been backed by the region's Fire Authority, but suffered a setback when Chief Fire Officer Phil Loach withdrew his support for it earlier this year
Rejection will be viewed in some quarters as a further blow to Mr Street, whose bid to take over the police and crime commissioner role failed in controversial circumstances.
