13 April 2007
Most fire and rescue authorities in England are now performing well or strongly, with 32 out of 47 in the top two categories, according to the latest ratings from the Audit Commission.
The results, published on April 5, show a general upward trend. The authorities were scored on a scale of one to four: one denotes 'inadequate' performance; two, 'satisfactory', three, 'good'; and four, 'strong'.
There are now no authorities in the bottom category; 14 have scored two; 18 received three; and 13 have earned the top mark.
Two further authorities, Kent and Merseyside, were exempt from inspection this year after gaining 'excellent' rankings under the old Comprehensive Performance Assessment regime in 2005.
Commission chair Michael O'Higgins praised the authorities' performance overall, but warned that progress in relation to modernisation was patchy.
While some authorities were 'rising to the challenge', the changes made by some had not yet resulted in better performance.
'There is still work to be done as fire and rescue authorities refocus their attention from reactive services towards preventative measures that stop fires happening in the first place,' O'Higgins said. 'Many still have work to do if they are to provide better services that will protect communities and save lives.'
Commenting on the results, Local Government Association deputy chief executive John Ransford said: 'There have
been huge achievements and progress across the whole of the fire service, but there is no room for complacency, and the fire service will continue to work for more improvements to help people stay safe.
'The modernisation programme has meant that scores more people across the country are alive today thanks to the changes that were made three years ago.'
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