Fire Minister Brandon Lewis has written to Sir Peter Brown, Chairman of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire and Rescue Authority following the “very obvious public concern” over the pay and pension arrangements of Chief Fire Officer, Graham Stagg.
It was recently reported that Stagg had left the fire service, accessed a substantial lump sum early, and then rejoined on his original salary.
Responding, Fire Brigades Union Cambridgeshire Secretary, Cameron Matthews, said: “The Fire Minister’s letter validates and echoes deep concerns for firefighters and members of the community.
“The Minister rightly expresses doubts over the authority’s openness, transparency and accountability, which firefighters believe are fundamental values within our service.
“Our members have suffered from years of pay freezes, detrimental conditions and are currently fighting off massive threats to their pensions as a result of budget cuts.
“We can only hope that in the coming days and weeks, councillors can work together to repair the damage done by this whole process.”
In the letter, Lewis writes: “I am disappointed that, in several aspects, your authority’s pay policy statement does not appear to meet the standards of openness and accountability we would expect and as set out in the Secretary of State’s guidance.
“In addition, there appears to be a lack of clarity about some important aspects of your local decision making.”
Lewis also points out that only four chief fire officers in England earn more as basic salary than Cambridgeshire’s Chief Fire Officer and three other members of their senior management team.
Firefighters across England and Wales will strike on Friday 1 November and Monday 4 November over the government’s ‘unsafe, unfair and unworkable’ attacks on their pensions.
