What we looked at

We looked at the actions of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority (the Authority) to secure continuous improvement since the intervention made by the Welsh Government in February 2024.

We have focused on its actions to act on the Terms of Reference set for the commissioners appointed by the Welsh Government. This included acting on reports looking at its culture, operations, and arrangements to secure value for money. In doing this, we looked at the improvement objectives that the Authority has set, as required by the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 (the Measure).

We also looked at the Authority’s response to an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) published in May 2025.

Why this is important 

Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) play a vital role in keeping communities safe. To do this, they must ensure that they provide a service that continually improves to keep up to date with evolving practice and make sure that the service they provide meets the changing needs of their communities. It is also important that the values and behaviours of those delivering fire and rescue services reflect the expectations of the public.

Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) play a vital role in keeping communities safe. To do this, they must ensure that they provide a service that continually improves to keep up to date with evolving practice and make sure that the service they provide meets the changing needs of their communities. It is also important that the values and behaviours of those delivering fire and rescue services reflect the expectations of the public.

The Welsh Government intervened in the Authority in February 2024. The then Deputy Minister for Social Partnership said that she did ‘not have the confidence that the service has the internal capacity or capability to oversee its own recovery…As with management, Authority members cannot be both the problem and the solution’. The Welsh Government replaced the councillors that had formed the Authority with four commissioners.

Acting on the findings of the ICR and other reports from external review bodies is key to the Authority demonstrating that it is working to secure continuous improvement for the benefit of its communities.

What we have found

The Authority has made progress in addressing its areas for improvement. However, it is not yet clear how its improvement activity will be funded or the difference it is making to local communities.

What we recommend 

We make three recommendations to help the Authority to improve. These are about:

• simplifying its strategic direction and setting out how it will benefit its communities;
• costing its improvement actions and identifying how they will be funded; and
• strengthening how it assesses progress towards its aims and whether it is delivering value for money.