Ministers ‘failing to hold fire services to account’

Senedd members accused the Welsh Government of failing to hold fire services to account after a report revealed a toxic culture of bullying, harassment, misogyny and discrimination

Peredur Owen Griffiths raised concerns about the findings of two independent reviews of the culture of North Wales and Mid and West Wales fire services.

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• Ministers ‘failing to hold fire services to account’

He said: “It is absolutely shocking that 10% of women in Mid and West Wales have reported experiencing sexual harassment. In North Wales fire service, 42% of respondents reported personal experiences of bullying or harassment since June 2021.

“The corresponding figure for Mid and West was even higher at 47%.”

The Plaid Cymru politician told the Senedd that the Fire Brigades Union has described the working environment as one of “fear and mistrust”.

Mr Owen Griffiths said: “It appears that successive Labour ministers, with a responsibility for the fire service in Wales, have not been successful in holding fire brigades to account.”

‘Unacceptable’

Jenny Rathbone, who chairs the Senedd equality committee which held an inquiry on fire services in the wake of a similar scandal in south Wales, pointed to some glimmers of hope.

She said: “For example, the female chief officer of the North Wales fire and rescue service has had an impact on the numbers of females in operational roles there.”

But Ms Rathbone stressed the need for radical reform in the aftermath of the three reviews, calling for the Welsh Government to publish a white paper on fire service governance.

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams said: “The reports we’ve seen today are truly shocking, they’re devastating. It’s completely unacceptable but they’re really not surprising.

“There is an issue of accountability here also because staff who do such difficult and dangerous roles to keep us safe have suffered terribly.”

‘Inaction’

Ms WIlliams criticised “inaction” over many years from the Welsh Government on reforming the governance of fire and rescue authorities by separating executive and scrutiny rules.

“What we see in these culture reviews are the consequences of that failure to deliver reform,” she said. “And the failure to get to grips with this matter earlier has really had this damaging effect on staff, yes but also on public confidence.”

Warning that problems have been apparent for decades, Ms WIlliams accused the Welsh Government of failing to deliver on a 2018 white paper with “shameful consequences”.

Jayne Bryant, who is responsible for fire services, told the Senedd she has met chief fire officers and the chairs of fire and rescue authorities.

During topical questions on February 5, She said: “I have set out my expectation that clear and decisive action should be taken immediately to dismantle these damaging cultures.”

‘Deeply depressing’

Stressing the issue is not unique to Wales, Wales’ local government secretary added: “There is no place for toxic cultures in fire and rescue services in Wales or any other workplace.”

Ms Bryant explained the Welsh Government plans to reform current legislation on the governance of fire and rescue authorities by the end of the Senedd term in 2026.

She suggested more substantial reforms could follow the next election.

“We do have to get this right,” she said. “And I think these reports, very sadly to say the least, are deeply depressing and worrying to see.

“But it is about getting this absolutely right and sadly this is not just a reflection on Wales, but this is something that we've seen and we're aware of that is happening across the UK.”