A national report published today showcases how the Staffordshire Commissioner’s Office is one of the first to adopt a new approach to fire and rescue governance, which delivers an efficient and effective service to protect our communities.
The Fire and Rescue Governance: In Focus report from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) highlights how closer working between police and fire in the region, overseen by Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams, is set to save more than £1million a year by 2022/23.
Staffordshire was only the second area in England where governance of fire and rescue was transferred to an elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC). Under the PFCC’s oversight and scrutiny, collaborative work has brought real benefits to how fire and police work together to keep communities safe, and delivered significant financial benefits.
A bold joint estates plan has seen fire and police teams brought together in modern facilities in Hanley and Tamworth, with public money no longer misspent on separate buildings for each team.
Bringing the two services together is delivering annual savings of over £300,000, and likely capital gains of £2.5m from selling two old police stations. When added to cashable savings from the move away from an unelected fire and rescue authority to a single, elected PFCC, and the new collaboration arrangements, annual savings will total more than £1 million by 2022/23.
Through reinvestment into both services, these savings will make them better placed to serve our communities and keep them safe, through increased training and capacity.
In additional to financial savings, closer working between police and fire is bringing benefits such as joined-up approaches to protecting vulnerable people, and missing persons searches that take advantage of both services’ resources and skills.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue Ben Adams said: ‘We are entering a period of real change, but there is an opportunity not just to demonstrate the benefits of bringing the services together, sharing resources and being stronger together, but also looking forward to what modern 21st century police and fire services should deliver.
‘I believe Staffordshire can be the model for that and we can carry the rest of the country with us.’
In the report, Lord Stephen Greenhalgh, Minister of State for Fire, said: ‘Through our forthcoming White Paper, we will consult on how governance in the fire sector can be improved, including expanding the role for Police and Crime Commissioners. I’m confident the PFCC model provides greater accountability, consistency, and transparency.’
Read the full Fire and Rescue Governance: In Focus report.
