Introduction

Welcome to our Statement of Assurance

In April 2022 we launched our Community Risk Management Plan 2022-25 (CRMP), which explains how we plan to deliver our services to you over the next three years.

The plan sets out our priorities, focusing on six strategic goals which explain how we will deliver our commitments. The CRMP places a strong emphasis on improving our understanding of communities so we can protect our County’s most vulnerable people and identify buildings most at risk from fire.

The Fire and Rescue National Framework for England requires us to report on our progress against our CRMP every year. We do this through our Annual Statement of Assurance (ASoA). This year’s ASoA is the first to report on the current CRMP and gives us the opportunity to explain our progress and highlight the work we continue to undertake to fulfil our core purpose of creating safer communities.

2022/23 has been an eventful year. We were delighted to receive a ‘Good’ report following our second inspection from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The report showed that we have made significant progress in our journey towards becoming an outstanding Service.

Last summer brought some exceptionally high temperatures and dry conditions which led to an increase in the number of fires. This posed a significant challenge to our workforce and at times presented a real test of our resources.

The economic and societal challenges caused by events here in the UK and overseas had an impact on the Service throughout the year, particularly in relation to our finances. Increasing costs and uncertainty over future financial settlements meant we had to make substantial in-year savings and consider options for further cost savings to ensure we could meet our statutory obligation to achieve a balanced budget.

The financial climate remains uncertain and we still need to make savings in future years to maintain a balanced budget. However, we will continue to provide you with the very best service possible with the resources we have available.

We hope that you find our Annual Statement of Assurance interesting, and it gives you confidence that we continue to serve you in the best way possible.

Fire and rescue authorities must provide annual assurance on financial, governance and operational matters and show how they have had due regard to the expectations set out in their integrated risk management plan and the requirements included in the Framework. To provide assurance, fire and rescue authorities must publish an annual statement of assurance.