The Fire and Rescue Authority

Introduction

The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority was established on 1st April 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 which made provision for joint authorities to be established in the major metropolitan areas following the abolition of the metropolitan county councils.

Although the Authority does not have all the miscellaneous powers of a district authority, it is nonetheless a local Authority in its own right, separate and distinct from the constituent councils. It is therefore subject to the same rules and regulations which govern other local authorities.

If you wish to attend Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority Meetings (including Committees and Sub-Committees) please read and familiarise yourself with the following document: MFRA Meeting Reporting Protocol and Procedure

Find out when meetings are taking place, what will be discussed and what decisions were made here.

The Authority

The Authority is made up of 18 Members, councillors all of who must be elected to one of the five constituent district councils within Merseyside (Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral). In 2021 the Police & Crime Commisioner, Emily Spurrell, requested to be appointed onto the Authority pursuant to her powers under section 7 of the Policing & Crime Act 2017, which was approved at the Annual General Meeting on 10th June 2021. Plus, there is a further non-voting Independent Member who has been co-opted onto the Authority for standards and scrutiny purposes.

Members of the Authority have a responsibility to the whole community of Merseyside and are directly accountable to the people of Merseyside for the running of the Fire and Rescue Service. All Members meet together as the Fire and Rescue Authority. Meetings of the Authority are normally open to the public.

The Authority has ultimate responsibility for decision making but has delegated many decisions to: committees as part of their Terms of Reference (available to view in the Constitution) and officers.

Members work closely with Officers (the staff employed by the Authority) in developing policies, plans and strategies to give direction to the Service and to ensure that services are delivered in line with the Authority’s objectives.

The Constitution details how the Authority conducts its business; it includes detailed procedures and codes of practice. The latest version can be found in Constitution and Allowances.

District Council Questions

Under the provisions of the 1985 Local Government Act, Councillors from the five District Councils are entitled to put down questions about the Authority to meetings of their individual constituent Councils.

The Authority Members nominated to answer such questions in 2020/21 are:

Knowsley - Edna Finneran

Liverpool - James Roberts

Sefton - Leslie Byrom

St Helens - Linda Maloney

Wirral - Brian Kenny