Fire chief carries out threat of 'vote of no confidence' in councillor bosses

Oliver Lee posted a letter on his Linkedin channel following a battle with the organisation's Fire Authority

The interim chief executive of West Midlands Fire Service has carried out his threat to call a 'vote of no confidence' in the councillors who are his bosses. Oliver Lee posted a letter on his Linkedin channel this morning, Friday, October 4, following a battle with the organisation's Fire Authority in which he claims he is 'speaking for firefighters.'

It marks a total breakdown of the relationship between the operational leaders and the fire authority that is de facto in charge. The letter has been co-signed by the fire service's assistant chief executive and chief financial officers, both brought in under Mr Lee’s short tenure.

Sent to chair of the authority Coun Greg Brackenridge their letter reads: "We write to alert you to our loss of confidence in the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service Authority (the Authority). We believe that in a series of ways the Authority is both unwilling and incapable of exercising its responsibilities to West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS)."

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"Indeed, the Authority has scant understanding of WMFS and little appetite to address this. Consequently, mistake after mistake has been made over the years until this day.

"This makes the senior leadership cowed and in turn the broader workforce. We believe the vast majority of people in WMFS share our view on this. Please let us know how best to proceed from here. Yours sincerely, Oliver Lee - Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Symcox - Chief Financial Officer Chris Payne - Assistant Chief Executive Officer."

Mr Lee is a decorated former Marines colonel who was brought in to steady the fire service following the tragic death of former chief Wayne Brown. He had posted two consecutive messages on the social media platform announcing his stance last night, Thursday, October 3. He said he would be 'declaring a vote of no confidence' in those responsible for governing the region's 1,900 fire staff and stations.

Soon after he doubled down by sharing publicly the content of a private message sent to him by fire authority chairman Greg Brackenridge that instructed him to attend an urgent meeting to discuss his comments. Mr Lee referred to the request as 'bullying' and 'a threat' - that reaction almost certainly makes his position untenable.

Last month Mr Lee said he didn't want the permanent job. In a damning message, he said he had found the governance of the organisation was "wholly impossible."

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