West Sussex Fire and Rescue has been praised for taking significant steps towards improvement in the last two years.

The praise comes from the chair of a panel established in 2018 to oversee the service following an inspection. In a letter to West Sussex County Council, Ann Millington said she would now disband the oversight panel as the service is moving in the right direction under Chief Fire Officer Sabrina Cohen Hatton.

The Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service was established after an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services in November 2018.

But in a letter, Millington said: “The progress to date leads me to believe that the steps that West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service have taken to improve the service are significant. It will undoubtably take time to fully embed the improvements, and the service has a clear plan in place to do so. It is therefore my intention to close the Independent Advisory Panel.”

Reacting to the letter, Paul Marshall, Leader of West Sussex County Council, said: “I am incredibly pleased the Independent Advisory Panel have recognised the significant progress being made by our fire service. This is a big step forward that the panel have decided now is the right moment for them to step back as we continue progress to improve.
“I would like to thank Ann and all the members of the Independent Advisory Panel for their support and guidance.”

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