THE new Shadow Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Authority is meeting for the first time today.

Elected members from both Wiltshire & Swindon Fire Authority and Dorset Fire Authority have been meeting as a joint committee every six weeks since January to manage the transition to a new combined Fire & Rescue Service.

The new service will come into being on April 1 next year.

The joint committee will continue to meet as a Shadow Policy & Resources Committee, but will now report directly to the new Shadow Authority.

In line with the Combination Order approved by the Secretary of State in March, the new Authority has 30 members, ten from Wiltshire Council, five from Swindon Borough Council, eight from Dorset County Council, four from Bournemouth Borough Council and three from the Borough of Poole.

In a joint statement, Coun Christopher Devine, chair of Wiltshire & Swindon Fire Authority, and Coun Rebecca Knox, chair of Dorset Fire Authority, said: “This first meeting of the Shadow Authority is a significant milestone in our journey to a new Fire & Rescue Service that will support and enhance communities across the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset.

"As well as providing the solid foundation that is so essential to this far-reaching programme of change, the Shadow Authority also includes a number of new members whose perspective will be a welcome addition to our considerations.”

"A great deal has already been achieved in a relatively short space of time, and we are grateful to staff and Fire Authority Members in both Wiltshire and Dorset for their hard work and dedication to delivering a new combined Fire & Rescue Service.”

Further information about the move to combination, including links to all papers for the Shadow Authority and the Joint Committee, can be found here.