This meeting of the Staff and Appointments Committee was scheduled to address the confirmation of interim appointments within the Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS). The agenda also included standard items such as apologies for absence, disclosure of members' interests, and confirmation of the minutes from the previous meeting.

Interim Appointments in Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service

The committee was asked to confirm the interim appointments of Lynsey McVay as Chief Fire Officer and Stephen Kennedy as Deputy Chief Fire Officer, effective from 18 March 2025.

According to the report pack:

The substantive Chief Fire Officer and Deputy Chief Fire Officer have not been at work since 12 March 2025. In order to maintain operational leadership and provide assurance to the service, partners and the public, two temporary appointments have been made to backfill roles in their absence.

Lynsey McVay was described as an experienced Fire Leader and Gold/Strategic Commander, seconded from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), where she is substantively the Assistant Chief Fire Officer. The Chief Fire Officer of TWFRS agreed to the secondment until processes relating to the substantive postholder are concluded. Her secondment to NFRS is on her current salary and terms, which roughly equates to the salary of the substantive postholder.

Stephen Kennedy's credentials were known to the committee, as they had previously agreed to his appointment as Assistant Chief Fire Officer. There was no intention to backfill the Assistant Chief Fire Officer post on an interim basis, and the interim Chief Fire Officer was considering other management arrangements.

The report outlined two options for the council:

1. To agree the interim appointments of Lynsey McVay and Stephen Kennedy, noting that both candidates are qualified, experienced, and currently in post.
2. To reject the interim appointments and begin a recruitment process, which would be time-consuming and might not attract candidates of the same standard.

The report noted that the interim appointment of a Chief Fire Officer would be an additional cost to the current pay bill, as the substantive postholders are in receipt of full pay. The interim Deputy Chief Fire Officer appointment would also represent additional cost (difference between substantive salary and interim salary), but the decision not to backfill the ACFO post would mitigate some of these additional costs.

The report stated that the appointments were made in line with appropriate employment processes, and that the interim management arrangements adequately address any operational risks caused by the absence of the CFO and DCFO.