Responsibility for fire to be moved from Home Office to MHCLG

In the statement, the Prime Minister observed: “On 4 September 2024, I announced that the Government would respond in full to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 final report within six months. In response to one of the recommendations from the report, I am confirming that responsibility for fire will move from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This change will bring responsibility for building safety and fire under a single Secretary of State, providing for a more coherent approach to keeping people safe from fire in their homes.”

Starmer added: “The Home Office will retain management of the Airwave Service Contract on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and remain responsible for the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.”

The change will be effective from 1 April.

In paving the way for what’s being heralded as the largest housebuilding programme in Britain since the post-war era, the Prime Minister has also set aside an additional £2 million of funding to support the Building Safety Regulator in continuing to improve processing for new build applications.

Response from the NFCC and the FBU

Responding to the Prime Minister’s announcement, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) chair Mark Hardingham said: “We welcome the transfer of fire responsibility to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Fire and Rescue Services face considerable challenges from implementing significant reforms following the Grenfell Tower fire through to ensuring resilience and sustainability and on again to adapting to evolving risks. We look forward to working collaboratively with MHCLG to support Fire and Rescue Services and firefighters in securing fire investment and driving improvements right across the sector.”

Hardingham continued: “I would like to thank those we have worked with in the Home Office, including Dame Diana Johnson as well as former ministers and departmental officials for their leadership, partnership and support over the years. Their commitment to the Fire and Rescue Services has been invaluable and we appreciate their contribution to strengthening the sector.”

Further, Hardingham noted: “We will, of course, continue to work closely with the Home Office on key issues involving the Fire and Rescue Service, such as joint working on counter-t Terrorism, tackling violence against women and girls and collaboration with policing.”

In conclusion, Hardingham explained: “As we move forward, we remain committed to working collaboratively and constructively with Government to deliver the best possible outcomes for Fire and Rescue Services across the country and the communities they serve.”

Important first step

Steve Wright, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, commented: “The Fire Brigades Union wholeheartedly welcomes this move as an important first step towards repairing the damage done to the Fire and Rescue Service by recent Governments. We are also pleased that the Government is acting promptly in response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. Our thoughts are with the bereaved, the survivors and the community and their fight for justice.”  

Wright added: “I look forward to working with ministers to deliver a Fire and Rescue Service that’s fit for the future, with the national standards and adequate funding necessary for tackling the growing risks we face.”