Jonathan Smith is the current London Fire Commissioner (LFC) and has overall responsibility for how London Fire Brigade delivers the fire and rescue service in London.
The role of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of London
All formal decisions about London Fire Brigade are approved by the London Fire Commissioner. Some decisions must also be approved by the Mayor or Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service. This includes approval of the Brigade’s annual budget, and the Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP), which sets out the Brigade’s plan for protecting London.
The Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service also holds the London Fire Commissioner to account for the delivery of fire and rescue services in London, and is consulted on a variety of topics as part of the Brigade’s formal decision-making processes.
How we are scrutinised
The London Assembly
The London Assembly provides scrutiny of the services provided to London by the Brigade. It does this through the Fire Committee. The Fire Committee reviews the priorities of the London Fire Commissioner, and scrutinises and questions decisions made by the Commissioner and the Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and the Fire Service.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue
Scrutiny is also provided by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS). The HMICFRS regularly inspects the Brigade, makes judgments on the services provided to Londoners, and identifies areas of improvement for the London Fire Commissioner to act upon.
Publicly available documents
Our commitment to transparency means that the public can scrutinise our actions and decisions via access to a range of key documents. These documents demonstrate the London Fire Commissioner’s compliance with statutory duties and regulatory requirements. They include:
- the Community Risk Management Plan
- Assessment of Risk
- Annual Governance Statement
- Statement of Assurance
- Borough Risk Management Plans
- other corporate strategies
Underpinning these documents are a range of policies and procedures that, as well as providing transparency, also provide clear guidance for employees to help them carry out their duties efficiently and effectively.
How we operate
Effective planning and governance are central to the London Fire Commissioner in:
- supporting the delivery of strategic priorities and commitments
- providing timely decision-making
- allowing progress and delivery to be monitored, reported and scrutinised
Boards
The delivery of our strategic priorities and commitments are managed through a number of boards:
- Commissioner’s Board is responsible for setting the London Fire Commissioner’s strategic direction, recommending significant decisions and monitoring organisational risk and performance. It is supported by 3 other boards:
- Investment & Finance Board – this covers budget forecasting, monitoring of reserves, treasury, capital programme, efficiencies, review of investment proposals
- Service Delivery Board – this focuses on establishment, people policies, training and development, health and safety
- Performance, Risk & Assurance Board – this considers performance against CRMP Key Performance Indicators, reviews strategic risks and controls, internal audit, delivery of portfolio and assurance activity
There are also a group of Programme and Project boards which are responsible for delivering the commitments and activities outlined in the CRMP and which support the London Fire Commissioner’s vision of being trusted to serve and protect London.
Audit Committee
The terms of reference, agendas, and meeting minutes for the Audit Committee are available on the Audit Committee page.