Chief and deputy at Northumberland Fire and Rescue reportedly suspended

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that chief fire officer Graeme Binning and his deputy Jim McNeil have both been suspended following the completion of an independent assessment of the culture at the fire service. The review was commissioned after concerns were raised by individuals.

That assessment has now been completed, with the fire service said to be considering its findings. At this stage, NFRS has declined to confirm or deny the reports of the suspension, while the assessment has not been made public.

A Northumberland Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “A neutral assessment at the Service has been undertaken. We are now considering its findings and taking the necessary next steps in this process.

“The safety of our residents is paramount and our operational command cover and procedures are secure. We cannot comment on individual staffing matters.”

Officials at Northumberland County Council, which oversees the service, confirmed an investigation was in progress in early February. The council said colleagues would be engaged with while pointing to a “rapid improvement journey” undertaken by the fire service in recent years.

In the last inspection from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. The service was rated as “good” for the way it promoted values and culture and “adequate” in the promoting fairness and diversity categories.

Mr Binning was appointed to the job job in August 2023, replacing the long-serving Paul Hedley following the latters’ retirement. Prior to joining NFRS, Mr Binning worked at a range of fire and rescue services in England and Scotland across two decades.

Mr McNeil was appointed as deputy chief in December of the same year. Like Mr Binning, he served with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service before spending two and a half years with Northumberland as assistant chief fire officer.