Thanks to everyone who took part in our public consultation on emergency fire and rescue service cover in North Wales.

The consultation has now closed.

North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority has not made any decisions yet and will remain open-minded about the solution until after all the feedback, evidence and information has been gathered and considered.

At a meeting of the Fire Authority on 16 October, a report was presented to Members on the response to the public consultation. This outlined how 1,776 people fed back on their views and it was agreed that work should cease on Options 2 and 3 as presented as part of the review. It was also agreed that work should continue to explore Option 1, working with members of the Fire Brigade Union (FBU). You can read more on this here.

A meeting of the Authority’s Emergency Cover Review Working Group was held on Monday 7 November, open to all Fire Authority members. This meeting focused on a recap of the consultation journey to date, exploring future options for emergency cover and considering the next steps. The meeting also provided an opportunity to hear more about the FBU’s ideas and suggestions.

The focus now is on exploring Option 1 and all additional suggestions which will be considered against the same criteria used to develop the consultation options.

To this end, another Emergency Cover Review Working Group will take place on 27 November, prior to a further scheduled meeting of the Group on 4 December. A revised Equality Impact Assessment, updated in light of the consultation findings, will also be presented.

The Fire Authority’s Budget Scrutiny Group is also working alongside to provide reassurance that every element of expenditure is being thoroughly examined and understood. This Group has met three times to date and will also meet again on 24 November.

No final decision on future emergency response arrangements will be made until the next meeting of the Fire Authority on 18 December. This meeting will be recorded and made available on our website to allow those interested to hear the discussion about how the decision is made.

After the final decision has been made, any changes to our emergency cover would take place in a phased approach, as part of our 2024/29 Community Risk Management Plan.