Latest inspection highlights serious leadership issues at Suffolk Fire Service

Why it matters: The investment aims to address serious concerns identified by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), particularly after finding the service "inadequate" at promoting the right values and culture.

The big picture: His Majesty's inspectors found Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) faces several shortcomings as it fell short in seven of the eleven areas graded:

• Promoting the right values and culture (inadequate)

• Understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies (requires improvement)

• Responding to fires and other emergencies (requires improvement)

• Making best use of resources (requires improvement)

• Making the FRS affordable now and in the future (requires improvement)

• Getting the right people with the right skills (requires improvement)

• Ensuring fairness and promoting diversity (requires improvement)

• Responding to major and multi-agency incidents (adequate)

• Managing performance and developing leaders (adequate)

• Preventing fires and other risks (good)

• Protecting the public through fire regulation (good)

Key findings on culture: The inspection revealed significant workplace culture concerns stemming from the service's leadership:

• Staff reported morale "was the lowest it had ever been" with absences due to stress, depression and anxiety nearly doubled between 2022 and 2024, rising from 579 to 1,034 days lost.

• Teams had been reduced and work redistributed, leading to job security concerns.

• Inspectors found examples of senior leaders "providing poor scrutiny and oversight," being "disinterested in issues raised by staff" and "disengaged from issues raised by managers and the wider workforce".

• Some instances of "derogatory comments" between different staff groups were reported.

• Only 60% of staff felt safe to challenge how things were done.

What they're saying: Chief Fire Officer Jon Lacey said: "We recognise there is much work to be done, which is why we are already developing an action plan to drive improvements across all service areas."

Cllr Steve Wiles, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for Public Protection, said: "We acknowledge and accept the findings within the report. Our additional £1.6 million investment proposal will mean the service can push on with its action plan."

Cllr Simon Harley (Green, Peninsula) and the Suffolk GLI spokesperson for public health and biodiversity, said it was "deeply worrying" that the council "didn’t spot this decline until this report landed in their laps," calling the report "proof positive that cuts have consequences."

The response: The council has set aside a further £1.6m and created a targeted action plan that focuses on:

• IT infrastructure improvements

• Cultural changes and staff wellbeing

• Risk management

• Internal governance arrangements

• Improving communication between staff and senior leaders

For context: All UK fire services undergo inspection every two years. The assessment used new, more stringent evaluation criteria introduced by HMICFRS, meaning results cannot be compared with the previous 2023 inspection.

The bottom line: While Suffolk's fire service performs well in some core duties, the proposed £1.6 million investment aims to address serious cultural and leadership challenges while maintaining public safety.