A watchdog has been accused of “inaccuracies” and of failing to provide proof to back up its verdict on a North East fire service.
Councillors have mounted a scathing attack on His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) over its recent judgement of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS).
The service was graded in 11 different areas in a report published this month – two of which it received a ‘good’ rating for, eight ‘adequate’, and a ‘needs improvement’ grade for promoting fairness and diversity.
But those conclusions came in for major criticism from the Tyne and Wear Fire Authority on Monday morning.
The authority’s chair, Sunderland councillor Phil Tye, alleged that there were “clearly factual inaccuracies” in the inspectors’ findings which TWFRS chiefs had unsuccessfully asked to be corrected before its publication and complained that he had been refused access to any evidence collected by the regulator.
He added: “Since the publication I have written to HMI on behalf of this authority because I need to understand. If I am going to hold the chief and staff to account then we have to see the evidence base for some of those judgements.
“I am disappointed to report that I have had a reply back to say that there are too many bits of evidence to share with us. As you would expect, I have said that is not good enough in an open and transparent world.”
The authority was told that TWFRS sent back almost 50 pages worth of challenges to the regulator about the report, but that the only changes made to it were “stylistic or typographical”.
Members of the board specifically questioned why the service was deemed only ‘adequate’ in its response to fires when it boasts among the fastest response rates in the country, with an average time under six minutes.
They also asked why the inspection had concluded that bosses should do more to make firefighters more productive, after the report found that TWFRS “doesn’t understand” how it uses its crews and does not collect data on how they spend their time.
Cllr Tye also suggested that the alleged inaccuracies were caused as a result of HMICFRS being “full of police inspecting a fire service and they don’t understand it”.
Gateshead councillor Kevin Dodds added: “An inspection regime has to be honest and transparent. If they are going to carry out an inspection, then tell us the truth at least. Don’t hide behind some form of jargon.”
TWFRS chief fire officer Peter Heath told politicians that he believed the organisation was a “good service that is performing well” and that the “narrative of the report did not alarm me”.
Mr Heath ascended to the top job last year following the retirement of Chris Lowther, taking the reins at a time when the service had been hit with damning accusations – including allegations of sexual harassment of a female firefighter and that a senior firefighter was promoted while being under investigation for alleged rape.
He said on Monday that concerns had been raised by staff “in terms of transparency in the promotion process”, but that it “feels like we are talking to more people and there are more routes for staff to be heard”.
Mr Heath added: “I will always be pushing for a more inclusive workplace and one where everyone can express their views without fear of ridicule or retribution. I think we are good and we have come a long way in the last couple of years. We still have work to do.”
HMICFRS indicated that inspector Michelle Skeer had written to Cllr Tye to arrange a meeting and said that its findings were built on evidence from sources including staff interviews and whistleblowing.
A spokesperson added: “In our latest inspection report of Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, we were pleased with their performance in keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks.
“Changes have been made to enhance its performance since its previous inspection, including appointing new leaders in some departments along with a new chief fire officer and new deputy chief fire officer. While we have seen progress made, further work is required in some areas to provide a consistently good service.”
