Welsh Government extends scandal-hit fire service intervention

Nation.Cymru staff

The Welsh Government has extended its intervention at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, saying there is a risk hard-won reforms could be undone if control is returned too soon.

Housing, Local Government and Planning Cabinet Secretary Siân Gwenllian has confirmed the four commissioners appointed to oversee the service will remain in place until after next year’s local government elections.

The intervention was launched in February 2024 following the publication of Fenella Morris KC’s highly critical independent review, which exposed widespread bullying, harassment and discrimination within the service, along with favouritism in promotions and serious management failings.

The inquiry also found a culture that tolerated sexual harassment, racism, bullying, harmful “banter”, drug and alcohol misuse and other misconduct, including criminal behaviour that had gone insufficiently addressed.

At the time, the Welsh Government removed the functions of South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, handing responsibility to four commissioners after concluding the service could not deliver the necessary reforms on its own.

In a written statement, Ms Gwenllian said the commissioners had made significant progress over the past 18 months. The senior leadership team has been replaced, internal policies overhauled and strengthened, and staff surveys show workplace culture is improving, although from what she described as “a very low base”.

However, she said neither the commissioners nor independent academic experts believed the changes were yet sufficiently embedded to survive a return to local control.

She said: “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 now remain in place until after the 2027 local elections. During that time they are expected to complete their original remit and prepare what the minister described as “an orderly and sustainable transition back to local control”.

Ms Gwenllian said the Welsh Government would work closely with the Welsh Local Government Association, the 10 local authorities that make up the fire authority and the cabinet members they appoint to oversee the transition.

The statement also confirmed that commissioner Carl Foulkes, the former Chief Constable of North Wales Police, will step down for personal reasons.

Ms Gwenllian thanked him for his contribution, saying he had brought “great insight and leadership” to the role, and said a replacement commissioner would be appointed in due course.

Fenella Morris KC’s inquiry, published in January 2024 after a year-long investigation, painted a damning picture of the culture within South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

Misogyny

Investigators heard evidence of misogyny, racism, sexual harassment, bullying and favouritism, with staff describing a “boys’ club” culture and a reluctance to report misconduct because they believed complaints would not be acted upon.

The review was commissioned following an ITV News investigation which found allegations that firefighters who sexually harassed and abused women had been allowed to remain in post.

The Welsh Government described its intervention as a measure of last resort, saying it should only suspend local control of public services where absolutely necessary and only for as long as needed. However, Ms Gwenllian said ending the intervention now would risk reversing the progress that has been made.