Intervention into South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to continue, says Welsh Government

The Welsh Government intervened in the service in February 2024, following a highly critical report by 39 Essex Chambers barrister Fenella Morris KC the previous month.

The independent review found a culture of sexism and misogyny in many places as well as failings in management, policies, procedures, and systems at the service.

The Welsh Government appointed four commissioners and gave them full oversight of the organisation.

In a written statement this week, Siân Gwenllian MS, Cabinet Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning said: “The Commissioners have made some good progress since then. The senior management team has been completely refreshed, and those who oversaw the original failings have been replaced. Internal policies and procedures are being overhauled and made fairer and more robust. And staff survey results show that workplace culture is improving, albeit from a very low base.

“The aim of intervention is to ensure that not only are actions taken to address the identified issues it is vital that these changes are sustained. This is on the basis that all such actions are measures of last resort: central government should only suspend local control of local services where absolutely necessary, and only for as long as necessary. It is therefore important that we consider when to end an intervention carefully on the basis of evidence and the views of those involved.”

Gwenllian said the Commissioners, in recommending continued intervention, had concluded that change is not sufficiently embedded to survive a return to local control.

“They are fortified in that view by a report from leading academics in the field which has cast material doubt about the sustainability of recovery if the Commissioners were to leave in the near future.”

The Cabinet Minister said that, having carefully considered this position, she agreed with the need to maintain the intervention.

“Bringing our intervention to an end now risks the change not being sustained and it is vital for those who were impacted by the previous issues that these are not allowed to return. It would also jeopardise the quality of services on which the people of South Wales rely to keep them safe. Those are risks I am not prepared to take.”

The Commissioners will remain in place until after next year’s local elections.

“During that time, I expect them to complete their original remit and to take steps to secure an orderly and sustainable transition back to local control,” Gwenllian said.

The Cabinet Minister added that she had also engaged with the WLGA on the pathway to transition. “To assist the Commissioners in ensuring a smooth transition back to local control, they and we will work closely with the WLGA, the ten local authorities in South Wales and the Cabinet members those authorities have appointed to membership of SWFRA.”

One of the four commissioners, Carl Foulkes, will meanwhile shortly leave the post for personal reasons.

Responding to the Welsh Government’s decision, the fire and rescue service’s Director for Corporate Services and Monitoring Officer, Amanda Brown, said: “We welcome the announcement from the Cabinet Minister, Sian Gwenllian, that the current arrangements with the Commissioners will continue until after the Local Government elections in 2027, along with the plan to appoint a fourth Commissioner to replace Carl Foulkes, after he decided the time was right to stand down from his role.

“We are pleased that in the announcement the Welsh Government recognised that good progress has been made in our Service and agree that that more time is needed to make sure the changes now underway are fully embedded and sustainable. Lots of changes have been made since the Commissioners started working with us, for example, the senior management team has been refreshed, policies and procedures are being reviewed and strengthened, and staff survey results show that workplace culture is improving.

“However, Commissioners have advised that their work is not yet complete, and that further time is needed to support a safe and steady transition back to local governance. We agree with the Cabinet Minister advice that Fire and Rescue Authority members should be involved in preparing for the future return to local control. We think this is likely to include setting up a Transition Committee, bringing together Fire and Rescue Authority members, the Governance Review Team and Service officers to help shape the future structure, constitution and forward work plans of the Authority.”