Ministers to insist woman is senior manager at South Wales Fire

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was taken over by commissioners in February

The Welsh government will “insist” that a woman becomes part of the management team at the troubled South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS), a minister has said.

Four government-appointed commissioners are currently over-seeing the service which was found to have a culture of sexual harassment and misogyny.

Local Government Secretary Julie James says “single-sex” management teams “end up in places where we don’t want them to be”.

She also defended the appointment of the interim chief fire officer, Stuart Millington, who is facing an employment tribunal.

The government minister has been giving evidence to the Senedd’s social justice committee which is holding an inquiry into fire and rescue service governance.

Stuart Millington was appointed interim boss of the South Wales Fire earlier this year following a damning report which said the SWFRS had a culture of sexism and misogyny.

After the commissioners appointed Mr Millington, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) passed a vote of no confidence in the interim chief after it emerged he was the subject of a complaint regarding harassment and discrimination from a North Wales Fire and Rescue Service employee.

The minister, Ms James, claimed to MSs: “That had been subject to a full external investigation and that had concluded there was no disciplinary case to answer”.

'Fully exonerated'

She told the committee: “I think its correct in law as well, that if somebody has been accused of something and they have been fully exonerated, they have been fully exonerated. That should not be held against them in any career moment.”

She added the complainant was now pursuing an employment tribunal case: “That is one of those things, I'm afraid”.

“I mean, if it comes out the other way, then that will have to be looked at but at the moment, the internal, the internal investigation found no case to answer”.

Plaid Cymru's Sioned Williams replied: “There was a case in which he said he needed to do some learning if I remember correctly in terms of the accusations against him, and he admitted that he needed to improve some of the ways in which he was proceeding, so I don’t think it’s right to say [he] was completely exonerated.”

On female job appointments, the Housing, Local Government and Planning Secretary said: “Obviously, we want to make appointments on merit, but I do think the fact that we keep appointing men is one of the issues there.”

“I will say that outright to you, I'm going to insist that there's a female in that management structure, whether they have to be co opted, whether they're appointed through a recruitment process, because I think that all services that have single sex teams like that end up in places where we don't want them to be.”

“We all know that a diversity of voices at a decision making point leads to better decisions.”