Gloucestershire 2021/22

It was a pleasure to revisit Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, and I am grateful for the positive and constructive way that the service engaged with our inspection.

I have concerns about the performance of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service in keeping people safe and secure from fires and other risks. In particular, I have serious concerns about the way it promotes its values and culture, and how it is improving the understanding of the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and removing barriers to EDI. In view of these findings, I have been in regular contact with the chief fire officer, as I do not underestimate how much improvement is needed.

We were disappointed to see that the service hasn’t made the progress we expected since our 2019 inspection. For example:

• targeting safety visits to the most vulnerable isn’t done efficiently;
• plans to introduce national operational guidance have been delayed;
• the service’s objectives are still not clearly linked to its budget plans;
• there is a lack of development support for newly promoted managers; and
• the service still doesn’t have a process to support the development of high‑potential staff.

My principal findings from our assessments of the service over the past year are as follows:

The service hasn’t done enough to have its values and associated behaviours accepted and understood by everyone, or to promote a positive workplace culture. There is a lack of senior leadership visibility. Staff haven’t been involved in developing a clear vision of the service’s future culture, or in the plans to introduce this. Previous efforts to instil the values and associated behaviours haven’t been successful. Staff described unacceptable behaviours, inconsistent with the service’s values. There were limited examples of staff being confident to challenge and manage inappropriate behaviour.

Progress to improve the understanding of the importance of EDI and removing barriers to EDI has been too slow. There is no clear plan for improvement. Actions taken so far lack planning and effective co-ordination. Slow progress is causing staff frustration and some staff don’t understand the need for improvement. Staff who carry out the equality impact assessments are not properly trained, and there is a lack of effective governance and oversight for the assessments.

The service has invested time and effort to address problems identified during our previous inspection. But this work hasn’t been focused or co-ordinated, and staff haven’t been effectively involved. Some improvements have been made, but overall the service has deteriorated since 2019.

I have asked the service to produce a plan setting out how it will address the causes of concern we identified. We will revisit the service in the autumn to review progress against this plan.