Gloucestershire Fire Service praised for improvements as final cause for concern is lifted
It follows the latest inspection.
Last updated 12th Aug 2025
The final cause for concern at Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service has been lifted by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services following its latest revisit.
HMICFRS visited the service between 9 and 10 July 2025 to review progress against its ambitious action plan. It followed a revisit earlier this year when two out of three causes for concern were removed after significant progress had been made in the areas of values and culture, and protection.
And now the third cause for concern in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) has also been lifted, meaning all recommendations have now been completed.
A revisit letter from HMICFRS said the service had worked at pace to address outstanding recommendations and it had made good progress to improve the way it promotes EDI.
EDI objectives were now included in the staff appraisal process, helping to raise staff awareness of them. Positive action training is shared with watch managers to support the work to recruit a more diverse workforce, and the service has introduced ‘the big conversation’. These face-to-face conversations encourage staff to have open and honest conversations on a specific topic each month and EDI objectives were the first topic discussed.
The letter said that the service had carried out further work to educate and communicate with staff on the importance of EDI, evidence was found that staff have a better understanding of the service’s EDI objectives, and staff expressed confidence in the importance of recruiting a diverse workforce.
The letter confirmed that the remaining cause for concern had been closed and GFRS would return to HMICFRS’s default phase of monitoring with immediate effect.
Mark Preece, Chief Fire Officer for GFRS, said: “This marks a significant milestone for the service and I would like to thank HMICFRS for recognising the progress we have made. The lifting of the final cause for concern is the result of hard work and a real commitment to change across our organisation.
“We’ve placed equality, diversity and inclusion firmly at the centre of everything we do and our team has worked incredibly hard to respond to these challenges. Creating an inclusive culture is an ongoing journey and we will continue pushing forward to ensure our service is one where everyone can thrive.”
Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, cabinet member with responsibility for the fire and rescue service, said: “This is a significant moment for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and shows the outstanding effort and commitment from everyone involved. Removing the final cause for concern, particularly in such an important area as equality, diversity and inclusion, is a huge achievement.
“The service has taken these recommendations seriously to deliver real and meaningful change, to create a service that reflects the communities it serves. I’m extremely proud of the progress made and I’m confident GFRS will continue building on this strong foundation.”