West Midlands fire chairman Greg Brackenridge resigns after attacks over Royal Marines service claims

In the firing line: Cllr Greg Brackenridge
-Credit: (Image: WMFS)


The beleagured chairman of West Midlands Fire Authority has tonight announced his resignation. Greg Brackenridge has stepped down with immediate effect, after five years in charge.

He has been at the centre of a storm of online comments and media coverage over his military service record with the Royal Marines, while he has also been publicly criticised by outgoing fire service CEO Oliver Lee, a decorated Royal Marines colonel.

Cllr Brackenridge has previously spoken of being on the receiving end of abusive, vile and hateful messages and threats. He had been forced to beef up security at home as a result, with the police informed. His wife Sureena, a newly elected Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East, has also been caught up in the backlash.

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His resignation marks another startling moment in a year of drama and adversity inside the fire service. It means the service, the second biggest in the country, is now without a CEO or a chairman.

Interim chief executive Mr Lee had announced his resignation earlier this week. Mr Lee, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he was quitting because it enabled him to 'do the right thing', claiming he had been 'gagged'. He had earlier said he could no longer work with Cllr Brackenridge, who he accused of telling 'untruths'.

He had also said he had raised concerns about the fire authority's governance 'with everyone right up to the Home Office...nobody did a thing."

The next meeting of the Fire Authority on Monday (October 14) will discuss the next steps. It will also consider a damning report from legal monitoring officer Satinder Sahota setting out allegations of maladministration against Mr Lee, and the counter claims submitted by Mr Lee.

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The Home Office is now scrutinising what's been going on, while inspectors from regulators HMICFRS have been invited to review the governance arrangements. The service is currently considering applications for a permanent chief executive.

In his resignation statement, Cllr Brackenridge does not address the allegations that he has 'exaggerated' his military service. He has previously told BirminghamLive that he joined the Royal Marines on leaving school but had to cut his service short because of a family emergency.

Despite being urged to 'come clean', he has refused to discuss whether or not he completed his Marines training and achieved the Marines' prized green beret, and whether he had been stationed with 45 Commando or any other unit.

In some media coverage, Brackenridge has also been accused of wearing a Gulf War service pin, only awarded to those who saw frontline service. In fact the blurred badge image is a City of Wolverhampton council pin, according to sources close to the councillor. Media who repeated the claim have removed it.

The councillor's MP wife, Sureena, has separately been accused of drawing on her family's history of service on the election trail. The Ministry of Defence is investigating how the councillor's service record from the 1980s was leaked and then widely circulated, without being authenticated.

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Cllr Brackenridge's statement will be read out to a meeting of West Midlands Fire Authority on Monday, due to take place at Fire Service HQ. It reads: "I write to inform you of my resignation as chair from the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority. This has not been a decision taken lightly. Events over recent months are an unnecessary distraction. I will not allow this to happen.

"As with all public services, West Midlands Fire Service and its employees require stability allowing them to focus on service delivery. I wish to reassure the public that the prevention, protection and response services they receive from firefighters and support staff at West Midlands Fire Service has always remained outstanding, and the quest for continual improvement in all areas of their work is a key focus.

"I am proud of the dedication and professionalism of the people at West Midlands Fire Service. I thank all employees, currently led by Deputy Chief Fire Officer Simon Barry, for continuing to take the service forward in challenging circumstances. I wish to thank the Fire Authority members, political, independant and observers (from the) trade unions for their hard work, commitment and support. It has been an honour to serve with all of you.

"Above all, I want to thank the amazing firefighters and support staff of West Midlands Fire Service for the life-saving work they continue to do every day. The fire authority and service focus has always been to ensure our communities have the prevention, protection and response services they rightly deserve. They will always come first.

"The service will be led by a new chief officer very soon as the recruitment process is near an end. I wish you and the new leadership every success for the future. Thank you."