South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority has made a positive start in addressing concerns about its culture, performance and governance set out in recent external reports. This includes the findings of the independent review of its culture, published in January 2024. However, it now needs to show how it will fund further improvements and if it is delivering better outcomes for communities across South Wales.
A new Audit Wales report, Delivering change, measuring impact?, looks at the steps the Authority has taken to secure continuous improvement since the Welsh Government’s intervention in February 2024. Since then, four commissioners have overseen the Authority, replacing councillors nominated from councils. Their work has been driven by terms of reference set by the Welsh Government and focused on addressing the 174 recommendations made by a series of external reports.
The Authority has developed a wide-ranging improvement programme and made progress in delivering it. However, it has not established how it will meet the cost of delivering its transformation plans, which could cost up to £19.4 million. As this total would exceed the £17.6 million it held in unrestricted usable reserves at the end of 2024-25, it means its ambitions may not be possible to deliver.
Catherine Mealing-Jones, Auditor General for Wales, said:
” I am encouraged by the action the Authority has taken to address concerns about its culture and performance, and I recognise the commitment of staff who continue to provide a vital service to communities across south Wales.
The Authority has made a good start, but it must now demonstrate that its improvement programme is making a real difference for local people and delivering value for taxpayers’ money. That means being clear about its priorities, understanding the costs involved and showing how change is improving outcomes.”
Call to action
The report recommends that the Authority:
simplify its strategic priorities;
clearly explain the benefits of its improvement activities for its communities;
identify how its improvement activity will be funded; and
strengthen how it measures progress in delivering its improvements and their value for money.
