Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the principle that the governance of fire and rescue services should be determined by residents within the area served will continue in the light of proposals to make these services subject to governance by Police and Crime Commissioners.

PCCs have clear local accountability and a strong mandate to transform and improve emergency services for their communities. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 enables PCCs to make a case to take on responsibility for the governance of fire and rescue services in their area where it is in the interests of economy, efficiency and effectiveness or public safety. The decision on whether to develop a proposal to take on fire governance rests with the PCC.

Before submitting a proposal to take on governance of the fire service, the PCC must consult each relevant local authority, the public within the commissioner’s police area, and persons appearing to representing employees of the police and fire services. This ensures that the PCC is able to properly consider the views of the local community before deciding whether to submit a proposal to take on fire.

Where a PCC takes on responsibility for fire and rescue they will be known as the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and will be directly elected by the public with a clear mandate to oversee both policing and fire.