Committee examines cultural failings in the fire and rescue service
The Home Affairs Committee holds an evidence session to examine the workplace culture in the Fire and Rescue Service, following on from the committee’s previous work on the culture in the police service.
Meeting details
Purpose of the session
In 2022, the Values and Culture reports highlighted serious concerns over the workplace culture in at least 26 out 44 fire and rescue services in England, including claims of bullying, harassment and discrimination. There are concerns over reporting mechanisms for misconduct with the national staff survey revealing many incidents go unreported. Fire and rescue services still underrepresent the communities they serve, with 94.4% of staff being white compared to 80.7% of the working age population.
The session examines the conclusions and recommendations of recent reviews into the culture of the fire and rescue services, and the response of the service to these findings. It will see if there has been an improvement in the culture in recent years and ask whether further is needed, as well as examining potential barriers to this.