SWFRS: Union has 'no confidence' in interim fire chief accused of bullying

• ITV Wales' Jonathan Hill has the latest on our investigation.

The Fire Brigades Union in South Wales says it has no confidence in the appointment of Stuart Millington as Interim Chief Fire Officer.

An emergency meeting was held by the union on Friday evening where representatives agreed they have no confidence in Stuart Millington as interim chief of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

He was only appointed last Friday and, as ITV revealed earlier this week, is himself facing an employment tribunal over allegations of bullying.

Those allegations are due to be heard at an employment tribunal in Mold, with a preliminary hearing taking place next month. Mr Millington denies the allegations against him.

ITV Wales has been inundated with phone calls and emails from serving officers who have described in detail what they tell us is a toxic culture at North Wales Fire and Rescue, where Mr Millington used to be the assistant chief fire officer. 

ITV have asked the Welsh Government deputy minister responsible for the fire service, Hannah Blythyn, for an interview about our revelations but for a third time it was declined.

A long-serving officer at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service has told ITV News the organisation has a "repressive environment" and people who speak out risk being "blacklisted" for promotions.

Mr Millington was seconded to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service following a damning report which found sexual harassment and domestic abuse was "tolerated" within the organisation.

The report was commissioned following an investigation by ITV News in December 2022 which found evidence that two firemen had been allowed to keep their jobs despite sexually harassing and abusing women.

Following publication of the report into the service's culture, the former South Wales Fire and Rescue Service chief, Huw Jakeway, announced his intention to retire.

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We can now reveal there has been another official complaint made to South Wales Fire and Rescue concerning Stuart Millington which has yet to be heard.

The Welsh Government, in its own criteria for the four commissioners parachuted in to run the service, says that they, "...shall oversee a new senior management team…that is untainted by the failings identified in the report…”, which outlined a culture of sexism, misogyny and bullying.

The Fire Brigade’s Union in South Wales held an emergency meeting in which representatives discussed whether they have confidence in Mr Millington as the interim chief of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

All week ITV Wales has been trying to get answers from all the parties involved but our specific questions have gone unanswered.

We even tried to get a response from the Welsh Government minister responsible for the fire service, Hannah Blythyn, at her constituency office. There was no answer.

The Welsh Government are now under growing pressure to establish a Wales-wide review into the culture at fire and rescue services.

Deputy minister for social partnership, Hannah Blythyn would not commit to a Wales-wide review when questioned during plenary on Tuesday, 9 January.

In response to those calls, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "We welcome reviews into a variety of areas within our fire and rescue service and in fact we conduct our own staff survey which includes questions on our workplace culture.

"This is carried out every two years, the last one being in 2023, and enables us to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “An interim chief fire officer has been appointed by the commissioners and a permanent chief fire officer or chief executive officer post will be advertised and appointed as soon as possible.”

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: "We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour or language of any kind in our organisation - we continually strive to achieve the best culture in accordance with our core values, and have robust policies, procedures and guidance in place that support us in achieving the highest possible standards expected by members of the public and we also regularly assess the effectiveness of these, comparing them to legal requirements and best practice and make recommendations for improvement.

"It is natural for concerns about conduct to arise in any organisation of our size and when we encounter conduct that does not adhere to our standards we make it our priority to ensure these issues are identified, properly investigated and dealt with fairly.

"We continually encourage people to report any concerns and we do everything we can to ensure they are comfortable to do so – with a variety of support mechanisms in place to make this as easy as possible, including an independent and confidential hotline."

A spokesperson for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "Interim CFO Stuart Millington’s appointment is on a secondment basis, which is a common practice across both private and public sectors.

"A number of individuals were considered during the process, with Stuart meeting the prerequisites put in place by the commissioners in regard to previous experience and ability to ensure business continuity within the Service."

"The commissioners for South Wales Fire Service appointed interim CFO Stuart Millington."

You can contact the team at wales@itv.com.

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