‘Significant weaknesses’ remain at Shropshire fire authority after audit

A meeting this week was told that progress is being made on dealing with issues including culture and leadership, with one councillor raising concerns about staff being “unwilling” to identify their ethnicity in surveys.

The fire authority’s audit and standards committee heard that the auditors – whose annual report covers the year ending March 31, 2025 – are meeting regularly with senior staff to ensure policies and procedures are put in place.

Two issues raised at the meeting in Shrewsbury were that the Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority did not have a clear record of payments being made, or a way of handling conflicts of interest when senior staff were included in handling complaints made against them.

On the payments issue the auditors reported that processes had taken place but the fire authority did not have a proper ‘paper trail’.

Councillors spent time discussing the issue of culture and leadership.

Councillor Duncan Kerr (Oswestry South, Green) said: “It continues to cause me concern that when we ask our staff to identify ethnicity they don’t answer the question.

“I worry about why we have an organisation where a majority aren’t willing to identify their ethnicity.”

He added that this could mean that “they are worried that it will be used against them”.

“It is not a situation I am used to being in.”

Councillor Rosie Radford (Liberal Democrats, Ellesmere Urban) said it was not necessarily because staff have “fear” for their jobs but that the idea needs “selling” to people.

The meeting was told that the information had not been routinely collected in the past and the fire authority is working to catch up.

Councillor Kerr said it is a “litmus test” for the organisation.

Chief fire officer Simon Hardiman said the authority is in a “far better place” than it was two years ago.

Mr Hardiman is leading the organisation’s cultural transformation programme after himself undertaking mandatory training following a written warning after allegations were raised against the fire authority in April 2024 concerning inappropriate WhatsApp messages sent by senior officers.

The fire authority is currently also working through the findings of a critical inspection report from November 2024.

Mr Hardiman told the meeting that His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services has confirmed that a further visit would not be required before its next full inspection later this year.

“It is a really positive place to be,” he told the meeting.

The fire authority has an improvement board and a scrutiny board working through issues.

Richard Anderson of auditor Grant Thornton told the meeting on Monday (February 2) that the majority of the concerns – identified in the year to April 2025 – are still present having been raised in 2023.

The weaknesses are:

• Limited evidence of measurable improvement in culture and leadership.

• Significant payments had been made without a clear record of value for money considerations, conflict of interest risks and approval.

• A need to increase the capacity of senior officers to deal with issues. Senior appointments have been made, but after the auditors finalised their report.

• Managing conflicts of interest.

• Lack of adequate arrangements for managing strategic risks.