More change in Shropshire as Assistant Chief Fire Officer resigns

Adam Matthews, Assistant Chief Fire Officer in Shropshire has resigned his post and left the organisation with immediate effect. He and Chief Fire Officer Simon Hardiman were both subject to an independent inquiry into their conduct after offensive and misogynistic WhatsApp messages were leaked to ITN in April this year.

ACFO Matthews position had been unclear in the aftermath of the fire authority’s decision to allow Simon Hardiman to return to his post as chief.

The BBC asked the fire authority if the inquiry into the assistant chief’s conduct had concluded before he tendered his resignation and left the fire service on 30 September, but the fire authority said the matter was closed and wouldn’t provide further comment.

The inquiry into the conduct of Simon Hardiman has closed. He was given a written warning and ‘a mandatory training requirement’ with the Chair of the fire authority saying “I am pleased CFO Hardiman will now be coming back to work.”

The return of the chief to his post has been met with consternation by the fire sector with Women in the Fire Service writing on LinkedIn that they were “astonished” by the outcome of the investigation in Shropshire.

The Women in the Fire Service LinkedIn post continues, “while we do not know the details of the investigation, content has been seen within the media which is abhorrent and amounts to nothing more than sexist and misogynistic behaviour.” They are seeking a meeting with the Fire Minister to discuss culture change in the fire and rescue service.

---

To read similar articles, check out our Leadership channel.