West Sussex County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service Scrutiny Committee has elected a new chair and vice-chair.
Councillor Alex Jeffery was chosen as the committee’s new chair at its latest meeting, held on Friday 19 June. Councillor Louise Potter was also elected as vice-chair.
The committee is responsible for scrutinising the work of West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and monitoring its performance.
Speaking after his appointment, Cllr Jeffery said: “I am delighted to have been elected to this role.
“West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) plays a huge part in keeping local communities safe. Through these meetings we will continue to monitor the service’s programmes of work in great detail and use the quarterly performance measures as evidence to ensure the fire and rescue service is being run efficiently and effectively.
“Our focus over the coming year must be on ensuring West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service enters the new Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority as a high-performing, well-governed and resilient service. Through scrutiny, oversight and constructive challenge, we will do all we can to ensure the service is in the strongest possible position ahead of the transition.
“That will be our shared priority, and I look forward to working with committee colleagues, the service and our partners over the coming year to achieve it."
At the meeting, members were given an update on the service’s performance in the final quarter of 2025/26.
Of the 30 performance measures used to assess WSFRS, 23 were rated green, five were amber and two were red.
The number of accidental house fires across the year was below the threshold, although six casualties were recorded in the final quarter, including five from one incident.
The service also exceeded its target for fire safety audits, with 1,068 buildings inspected under the Risk Based Inspection Programme.
On-call appliance availability improved by six per cent in quarter four, although the service remains below its target.
Members were also presented with the latest Statement of Assurance report.
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