POLICE and Crime Commissioner Mathew Grove could soon be put in charge of the region's fire services. Policing Minister Damian Green made the claim in a speech to the Blue Light Innovation Conference this week.
During his speech, Mr Green said it was an idea the Government needs to "consider seriously" if it is to reform the fire service.
His comments follow a Government-commissioned review by Sir Ken Knight over the summer, which found fire and rescue services in England need to be "transformed" to become more efficient and effective.
Addressing the conference, Mr Green said: "Sir Ken stated that police and crime commissioners (PCCs) 'could clarify accountability arrangements and ensure more direct visibility to the electorate'. He also raised the prospect of PCCs taking on responsibility for the fire and rescue service.
"If we are to truly increase local accountability and deliver the much-needed reform of fire services, as we have done in policing, this is something we need to consider seriously.
"PCCs benefit from clear accountability at the local level and have a strong incentive to ensure reform is ambitious enough to improve services and deliver value for money.
"The Government response to the Knight Review will set out our direction, but I want to be clear now that we want to work with PCCs, fire authorities and all the emergency services to build on what is already happening and to drive this forward by removing barriers and unlocking opportunities."
Sir Ken's report said that, while fire incidents were down 40 per cent over the past decade, the number of firefighters was roughly the same.
He also said having 46 separate authorities was not "sensible" and called for more collaboration between fire and other emergency services and the possibility of a single fire service for England.
Mr Green endorsed the need for more collaboration.
He said: "It doesn't make sense for all the emergency services to have different premises, different back offices, different IT systems and different procurement policies, when their work is so closely related.
"For example, the vast majority of fire and police boundaries are already co-terminus. While this could have led to joint estates, over half of police stations in England are separate but within 1km of a fire station.
"In the context of station closures and a public appetite for accessible local emergency services, this is just one practical example of why the emergency services need to collaborate to make it easier to meet public expectation."
Mr Green also singled out Humberside PCC Matthew Grove for the work he is doing in reining in costs.
"Matthew Grove, the PCC in Humberside, made clear after his election that he wanted to see long-term savings delivered from emergency services collaboration," he said.
"He is now working with the fire authority to achieve significant savings by developing a joint vehicle and equipment workshop."
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