The Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Panel held a special meeting on Tuesday 3 November at the Civic Centre in Carlisle. It had one main purpose: to hold the public confirmation hearing on the Commissioner’s proposed appointment of a new Chief Fire Officer for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. I chaired the meeting as Chair of the Panel.
Why the Panel holds a hearing
The Commissioner is the fire and rescue authority for Cumbria and appoints the Chief Fire Officer, but the law requires the Panel to review any proposed appointment in public first. The hearing focuses on two things: the candidate’s professional competence, and their ability to act independently of the Commissioner. The Panel can recommend that the appointment goes ahead, raise concerns, or, in exceptional cases and with a two-thirds majority, veto it.
The appointment process
The appointment panel, which included an independent member and the Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council. The panel unanimously recommended the current Acting Chief Fire Officer for the permanent role, and the independent member reported separately to the Panel on the fairness of the process.
The outcome
The Panel each asked questions of the recommended candidate and then considered the appointment in a closed session. The decision was to support the recommendation that Ben Ryder is appointed as the new Chief Fire Officer.
The full papers for the meeting are available here: Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Panel, 3 November 2026.
As ever, if you have any questions about any of this, or there is anything I can help with, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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