Fire authority 'in disarray' amid Reform leak row

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright described the situation as "a shambles and a threat to public safety"

Reform UK's suspension or expulsion of multiple Kent councillors has left a fire service unable to make major spending decisions, a union has said.

Brian Black and Isabella Kemp were chair and vice chair of the Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority before being removed in the wake of leaks from a heated Kent County Council (KCC) meeting.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the authority, which governs Kent Fire & Rescue Service, was "in disarray" and unable to carry out its full functions as a result.

Reform UK and KCC have been contacted for comment.

The fire service no longer lists Black and Kemp as part of the authority, and does not have another member listed as chair or vice chair.

Reform has also removed Robert Ford, Paul Thomas and Oliver Bradshaw, who are no longer listed as members of the fire authority, from the party in recent weeks.

The FBU claims this has left fire service bosses with "tight limits on expenditure without a body to sign off bigger spends".

The authority should comprise 21 county councillors, four Medway councillors, the police and crime commissioner and an independent member, according to its website.

'Operational gap'

Ann Millington, the chief executive of Kent Fire & Rescue Service, said the situation did not affect day-to-day service but could have an impact in "rare" situations.

"The operational gap is when we need a decision above my delegated spending powers in the case, for instance, of a massive operational response which needed more overtime," she said.

Union general secretary Steve Wright described the situation as "a shambles and a threat to public safety".

He said the public "has a right to expect that its emergency services are accountable to them and their elected representatives.

"At the moment, the structures for that have broken down in Kent."

The union also said its local representatives had written to council leader Linden Kemkaran asking for a meeting but had not had a response.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple, a Labour representative on the fire authority, said the "chaos of the last few months is now spreading beyond" Kent County Council.

"This undoubtedly poses more questions" for party leaders "who would have selected these councillors before sacking them", Maple said.

Kemp said she was exploring legal action against Reform after she became the sixth person removed from the party since the leak.

The video showed Kemkaran shouting and swearing during the meeting, then telling party members to "suck it up" regarding her decisions.

Kemkaran previously ruled out resigning in the wake of the leak and party leader Nigel Farage said he backed her "100%".

Reform UK won 57 of KCC's 81 seats to take control of the authority in local elections in May, but have since lost nine councillors.