Commissioner assesses progress one year on from transfer of fire governance
Julia Mulligan assumed statutory responsibility from the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority on 15 November 2018 with four critical success factors identified from the transfer:
- improve collaboration
- bring benefits in terms of transparency and accountability
- ensure the transfer of governance was deliverable and
- to mitigate strategic risks
The Commissioner has now published a ‘one year on’ assessment of what has happened in just over 12 months since governance was transferred.
You can read the full report here >>
Julia Mulligan said:
“The past year has seen a huge amount of hard work from many people across the Fire and Rescue Service and other emergency services to embrace new ways of working and ensure we give support to the dedicated firefighters and staff who keep North Yorkshire safe every day.
“Collaboration between the Fire Service and Police has progressed at pace with a shared vision between the Chief Constable, Chief Fire Officer and myself, and a streamlined decision-making process has meant that the once talked about opportunities within the former ‘Statement of Intent’, are now being realised.
“From developments behind the scenes – such as a shared headquarters in Northallerton, to the launch of Enable North Yorkshire bringing together the vital support services, we have had a real step change in the way the organisation works.
“We’ve also made good progress on the financial deficit that was inherited. Following the hard work of the Finance Working Group, we now have a robust financial plan and reserves strategy. This important approach means have been able to have the first open recruitment of wholetime firefighters in North Yorkshire for the first time in ten years.
“I hope this report shows that real progress is being made, the transfer of governance has been smooth and we are achieving our aim of supporting North Yorkshire being safe and feeling safe.”