Dumfries & Galloway Fire & Rescue is effective and making progress in delivering Best Value

Dumfries & Galloway Fire and Rescue provides an effective service. It uses the principles of risk management well and is making progress in developing a culture of continuous improvement. Dumfries and Galloway Council needs to ensure that councillors overseeing the service have sufficient skills, so they can put in place stronger scrutiny and challenge of the service to ensure Best Value.

The Accounts Commission’s findings say that Dumfries & Galloway has clear vision and priorities, which it shares with other organisations responsible for community safety. It has a good approach to operational risk management, as seen in the way in which it uses retained firefighters, and the service should now do more to integrate risk management into its overall strategic planning.

Councillors overseeing the service need the right skills and performance information to improve their scrutiny and challenge of the service. The council should help support councillors to develop their skills and the service should provide better performance information. The service’s management also needs to improve how it evaluates its preventative work in order to demonstrate better value for money.

Chair of the Accounts Commission, John Baillie, said:

“Dumfries & Galloway Fire and Rescue is effective and is developing a culture of continuous improvement. Management and councillors need to continue with this work and have good strategic planning and oversight in order to provide Best Value. Councillors should develop their skills and have access to better performance information so they can scrutinise and challenge the service.

“Dumfries & Galloway needs to keep its focus on improving its service to the public whilst fire and rescue services are being restructured on a national basis. It is especially important to have good management practices at times of financial challenge and change such as this.”