Fire service has 'more work to do', says watchdog

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has been revisited following an inspection by a watchdog in 2024

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service has made good progress but still has more work to do after serious concerns were raised about aspects of its conduct , inspectors said.

Concerns were raised in November about how the service managed resources and risk, and instances of bullying and misogyny on some shifts were raised.

A revisit, carried out in July, reviewed the service's action plan in response to the inspection and described it as comprehensive but called for more detail.

The senior management team reviewed progress at its fortnightly meetings, as well as providing a quarterly update to all members of the fire authority, a letter from inspectors to the fire service said.

A His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services report said the service held monthly informal meetings to monitor and record progress.

Inspectors advised the service to "improve the robustness of its governance arrangements", and suggested some updates were "brief" and lacked sufficient detail.

They also said staff had completed some objectives "without recording suitable supporting evidence".

It was recommended it improved how it scrutinised updates and closed actions.

In their conclusion, the inspectors said: "The service will need to evaluate the changes and make sure they are accepted and understood by everyone across the service and are sustained in the longer term.

"We will continue to monitor progress as part of our next scheduled inspection of the service within the 2025–27 inspection process."