Opposition County Councillor Criticises Conservatives’ Response to Inspection Report

14 September 2023, Woodhatch Place, 11 Cockshot Hill, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8EF

Residents’ Association County Councillor Eber Kington has written to Cabinet Member County Councillor Denise Turner Stewart expressing concerns over her public statement on the HM Inspection Report of the Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, calling on her to recognise the seriousness of the Inspection judgements and to stop her attempts to deflect criticism of the Conservative administration. (See Note 1. below)

Speaking on behalf of the Residents Association and Independent Group at Surrey, County Councillor Eber Kington also said:

“Quite clearly Councillor Turner Stuart would rather talk about the cultural and behavioural improvements in the services which, whilst welcome, avoids the real issue of the safety of our residents.

He also expressed concern at the pace of change and service improvement at Surrey County Council (SCC):

“The Cabinet Member’s attempts to suggest that sufficient improvements have been made recently are not supported by the Inspectors’ comment that they ‘were disappointed to find that the service hadn’t made the progress we expected since our 2021 inspection’.

Commenting on the Report’s failings as they impact Fire Officers, he said:

“Our Fire Officers also deserve better than this.  A failure to prepare and train for incidents in tall buildings, and delays to the upgrade of vehicles, can put lives in danger and damage morale.

And going forward he called for swift action:

“What we need now is a clear plan of action, with timescales, and a recognition that things are not good enough, rather than attempts to avoid a discussion of the Inspectorate’s critical Report”.

Notes to the Editor:

1. Copy of the email: from CC Eber Kington

Dear Denise,

I refer to your email of yesterday advising Members of the publication of His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) Report of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.

Once again, this Conservative administration has issued a statement and press release aimed at deflecting criticism from what is a highly concerning Inspection Report.  Whilst the Inspectors’ praise for the fire and rescue service’s cultural improvements and the positive behaviours is important to acknowledge, headlining it when of the eleven statutory judgements made of the SFRS only one judgement is considered ‘Good’, is avoiding acceptance of what is a very poor and worrying assessment of the SFRS as it stands today.

Under your watch, the key factors relating to keeping our residents safe; preventing fire and risk, public safety through fire regulation, responding to fires and emergencies, and the best use of resources, all require improvement.  In fact, seven of the eleven Inspection judgments show that the SFRS under the Conservative administration is less than adequate.

Our Fire Service Officers rightly get praise for their work and commitment, but they urgently need the political commitment and action plans in place to ensure that these issues identified by the Inspectorate are tackled and resolved, not least because the Inspectorate’s Report shows that our own Officers are also being failed by the current regime.

As a matter of urgency can you advise me what steps you intend to take to turn this situation around, and when Members and residents can expect a recognition from your Administration that the current situation is just not acceptable.

Note 2.  Further failings of the service

• There is a ‘new concern’ surrounding the identification of high-risk premises
• The service needs to do far more to prepare and train for incidents in tall buildings
• There is little progress in terrorist response improvements
• The number of Safe and Well Visits is below the national average
• The ICT system for allocating SAWVs is not effective or adequately evaluated

• There are no timeframes for delivery of services or handling of complaints
• Enforcement is poor (in the five years from 1 April 2017 to March 2022 there was just one prosecution)
• The revenue budget has increased by 17%
• The service is completing just 60 fire audits per month out of a target of 90
• Design faults have increased costs and caused delay in the fleet upgrade
• 27% of staff have felt bullied or harassed in the last 12 months

For further comments please contact County Councillor Eber Kington: 07598 322406

Link to meeting papers and video: Effectiveness, efficiency and people 2023/25 – Surrey Fire and Rescue Service – His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (justiceinspectorates.gov.uk)