MOVES to bring Essex’s police and fire services under the control of a single commissioner have moved a step closer.

Draft proposals to merge the leadership of Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) have been released and will be discussed at a meeting on December 7.

The draft business case assesses the “scale of opportunity” for closer working between both organisations and how a joint Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner could services and use public money better.

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Essex, said: “I have been very open about my desire for closer working between Essex Police and ECFRS and I believe there are great benefits from having joint governance of both bodies.

“There are opportunities for the services to work together to help the vulnerable and keep people safe, for instance by improving the way we respond to the public both online and on the phone, providing joint crime and fire prevention advice, looking at opportunities for joint attendance at incidents, sharing buildings and support functions, looking at whether there would be benefits in a joint contact centre and joint IT provision, and finding ways to realise greater efficiency savings and release funds for reinvestment.

“Both Essex Police and ECFRS do a great job at protecting residents of Essex, making them safer and coming to their aid when they are in trouble.

“But there are opportunities to work smarter and to do more things together which I feel is in the interests of the public of Essex for us to explore.”

He added: “This is not just about making financial savings.

“I believe the oversight by a joint commissioner would improve the provision of services while also saving money to reinvest back in to both organisations.

“A directly elected commissioner would be accountable to the public for the delivery of both police and fire services in the county.”

Anthony Hedley, chairman of Essex Fire Authority, said: “Essex Fire Authority has supported the development of a draft local business case, prepared by the Police and Crime Commissioner, to explore joint governance of police and fire services in Essex.”

Public consultation on the proposal is a key part of the PCC’s plans surrounding the case for joint governance.

However, this cannot start until after the Policing and Crime Bill completes its parliamentary passage and receives royal assent. This is expected to be in early 2017.