5 September 2011
In a written Ministerial Statement the Fire Minister, Bob Neill MP, today (5 September) announced that the Department for Communities and Local Government have launched a short phase of pre-market engagement, which will allow interested parties to offer clear views on the future of the Fire Service College.
The Fire Service College, which employs over 200 people, plays a key role in the training of fire brigades and other bodies throughout the UK to deal with fire related matters, and thereby forming a crucial part of the UK’s national resilience. However, the future of the College had been the subject of considerable interest following a working group report by the Local Government Association (LGA) published in June and the publication of the Government’s own Fire Futures papers last year.
The LGA report examined a number of possible models for the future of the College and came to the conclusion that Fire Sector commissioning through a contractual partnership with the private sector was the only viable option through which the continuing future of the College could be secured.
The Fire Minister today confirmed that the Government’s preferred option for the Fire Service College is a partnership between the public and private sectors with the fire sector playing a key role in that partnership. However, although the Government have said they would prefer a public/private sector partnership they do not wish to close off other options and would welcome ideas on whether other arrangements may be more suitable, which is why they have launched a short phase of pre-market engagement.
Commenting on this news Cotswold MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “The future of the Fire Service College has been a concern of mine for a number of years and I believe that this is the best news that the Fire Service College and its employees have had for many years. There is now the possibility that the College will now have an enhanced role in the future as the National Centre for resilience providing multi-agency training for some of the most serious emergencies that this country could conceivably face and could generate considerable business as a Centre of Excellence from all over the world.”
“This is very much a step in the right direction for securing the future of the College. In order to continue to offer a high level of service the College desperately needs significant investment in its facilities and training programmes and I believe that a partnership between the public and private sectors would undoubtedly offer that investment and thereby secure the College’s future.”
“I have had a number of meetings and discussions with the Fire Minister and representatives from the Department for Communities and Local Government on this matter and I know that they are very keen to resolve this issue. I have also had meetings with various private sector enterprises who will be very interested in this development and would be able to provide the necessary investment of many millions of pounds.”
“I hope that all parties interested in this matter, from the employees and the local community to the District Council and possible private sector partners, will participate in this process and I very much look forward to the results of the exercise.”
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Fire Service College – Future Options
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Robert Neill): The Government sees strong value in a national College for the Fire and Rescue Service to deliver common, consistent standards of safety critical training and improved intra-operability across the Service in support of resilience and to enable it to meet public expectations.
However, the current Fire Service College ownership and business arrangements do not provide the flexibility necessary for the College to operate with sufficient commercial success. As we said in our response to Fire Futures, the Government wishes to explore options for a new ownership, operational and governance model for the Fire Service College which, through greater involvement from other sectors (whether private, public or voluntary), secures its future, supports national resilience and provides best value for the public purse.
The Government’s preferred option for a Fire Service College of the future is a partnership between the public and private sectors with the fire sector playing a key role in that partnership. Whilst a public/private sector partnership is the preferred option, we do not wish to close off other options and would welcome ideas on whether other arrangements may be more suitable
To inform its view of market appetite and viable options, the Department for Communities and Local Government is today launching a short phase of pre-market engagement. This will allow interested parties to offer clear views on the future of the College, and the Department to assess the reaction of the market to the overarching aim of delivering a new model for the Fire Service College.
A copy of the pre-market engagement document can be found on the Department’s website at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firerescueservice/collegefutureoptions
The Fire Service College, which employs over 200 people, plays a key role in the training of fire brigades and other bodies throughout the UK to deal with fire related matters, and thereby forming a crucial part of the UK’s national resilience. However, the future of the College had been the subject of considerable interest following a working group report by the Local Government Association (LGA) published in June and the publication of the Government’s own Fire Futures papers last year.
The LGA report examined a number of possible models for the future of the College and came to the conclusion that Fire Sector commissioning through a contractual partnership with the private sector was the only viable option through which the continuing future of the College could be secured.
The Fire Minister today confirmed that the Government’s preferred option for the Fire Service College is a partnership between the public and private sectors with the fire sector playing a key role in that partnership. However, although the Government have said they would prefer a public/private sector partnership they do not wish to close off other options and would welcome ideas on whether other arrangements may be more suitable, which is why they have launched a short phase of pre-market engagement.
Commenting on this news Cotswold MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said: “The future of the Fire Service College has been a concern of mine for a number of years and I believe that this is the best news that the Fire Service College and its employees have had for many years. There is now the possibility that the College will now have an enhanced role in the future as the National Centre for resilience providing multi-agency training for some of the most serious emergencies that this country could conceivably face and could generate considerable business as a Centre of Excellence from all over the world.”
“This is very much a step in the right direction for securing the future of the College. In order to continue to offer a high level of service the College desperately needs significant investment in its facilities and training programmes and I believe that a partnership between the public and private sectors would undoubtedly offer that investment and thereby secure the College’s future.”
“I have had a number of meetings and discussions with the Fire Minister and representatives from the Department for Communities and Local Government on this matter and I know that they are very keen to resolve this issue. I have also had meetings with various private sector enterprises who will be very interested in this development and would be able to provide the necessary investment of many millions of pounds.”
“I hope that all parties interested in this matter, from the employees and the local community to the District Council and possible private sector partners, will participate in this process and I very much look forward to the results of the exercise.”
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
DEPARTMENT FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Fire Service College – Future Options
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Robert Neill): The Government sees strong value in a national College for the Fire and Rescue Service to deliver common, consistent standards of safety critical training and improved intra-operability across the Service in support of resilience and to enable it to meet public expectations.
However, the current Fire Service College ownership and business arrangements do not provide the flexibility necessary for the College to operate with sufficient commercial success. As we said in our response to Fire Futures, the Government wishes to explore options for a new ownership, operational and governance model for the Fire Service College which, through greater involvement from other sectors (whether private, public or voluntary), secures its future, supports national resilience and provides best value for the public purse.
The Government’s preferred option for a Fire Service College of the future is a partnership between the public and private sectors with the fire sector playing a key role in that partnership. Whilst a public/private sector partnership is the preferred option, we do not wish to close off other options and would welcome ideas on whether other arrangements may be more suitable
To inform its view of market appetite and viable options, the Department for Communities and Local Government is today launching a short phase of pre-market engagement. This will allow interested parties to offer clear views on the future of the College, and the Department to assess the reaction of the market to the overarching aim of delivering a new model for the Fire Service College.
A copy of the pre-market engagement document can be found on the Department’s website at
http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firerescueservice/collegefutureoptions
