Gloucestershire Fire Service 'needs to build up trust' report says

Stewart Edgar has stepped down from his role as chief fire officer

Culture changes are needed at a fire service in order to rebuild trust in the organisation, a report has said.

An investigation has taken place at Gloucestershire Fire Service after its former chief fire officer resigned over the sale of a Land Rover in July.

Audit Risk Assurance (ARA) was appointed to follow up on a number of whistle-blowing claims.

Gloucestershire County Council, which runs the service, said it has already begun acting on the recommendations.

Ex-chief fire officer Stewart Edgar stepped down from his role after he auctioned a "surplus" vehicle worth up to £8,000 for £500, then bought it himself, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A council probe, triggered by a whistleblower, found Mr Edgar had demonstrated "poor judgement" over the sale of the Land Rover Discovery.

At the time of his resignation Mr Edgar told staff he was standing down to "give time to my family".

Recommendations from the ARA investigation include:

• Better training for staff so they understand financial regulations properly

• Improving the culture within the service, with clear communication routes between staff and management

• Reviewing the structure and governance of the fire service

Council chief executive Peter Bungard said confidence in the GFRS must be "robust" behind the scenes.

He added: "Where a colleague raises a concern, they can be confident that it will be taken seriously and appropriately investigated.

"I have made this point to the service and indeed the wider organisation and encourage anyone to speak up, if they think something isn't right."

The council's audit and governance committee will meet on 12 October to discuss the report.