The West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority was established on the abolition of the West Midlands County Council and has been in existence since 1st April 1986.
The Authority comprises 27 councillors who are appointed by the seven constituent metropolitan district councils in the West Midlands area. The number of councillors appointed by each council is prescribed by the Local Government Act 1985 based on the population of the district as follows:
| Number Of Members | |
| Birmingham | 10 |
| Coventry | 3 |
| Dudley | 3 |
| Sandwell | 3 |
| Solihull | 2 |
| Walsall | 3 |
| Wolverhampton | 3 |
By law the appointments made by each council must reflect the political composition of the appointing body.
Members of the Authority are collectively responsible for the decisions they take in the name of the Authority. As individual members they are also accountable to their appointing authority. One member of the Authority for each constituent council is appointed annually under Section 41 of the Local Government Act, 1985 to answer questions at meetings of that Council on matters relating to the Fire and Rescue Authority.
The West Midlands Fire Service is funded partly from government grant and partly from a precept levied annually on each constituent authority by the Fire Authority. The precept forms part of the Council tax levied by each constituent authority.
The Authority is responsible for ensuring that it carries out the core functions set out in Part 2 of the Fire Services Act 2004. In summary these are:
The Government through the Secretary of State sets priorities and objectives for the Fire Authority via the Fire and Rescue National Framework which is reviewed every two years. The Authority is accountable to the Secretary of State for meeting the requirements of the National Framework.
The Authority consults directly with West Midlands residents and partner organisations on its Annual Service Plan
The Authority is therefore accountable to:
Please visit our Committee Management Information System (CMIS) for more detailed information relating to the Councillors and meetings of the Fire Authority. This link will also give you access to all agendas, minutes and public reports since the Fire Authority's Annual General Meeting on 26th July 2004.
