Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004

[F1 Fire and rescue authorities] E+W

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 1 cross-heading inserted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 3.4.2017 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 1 para. 2; S.I. 2017/399, reg. 2, Sch. para. 38

1 Fire and rescue authorities E+W

(1) The fire and rescue authority for an area is the authority determined under this section.

(2) In England—

(a) a non-metropolitan county council is the fire and rescue authority for the county;

(b) a non-metropolitan district council for an area for which there is no county council is the fire and rescue authority for the area;

(c) the [F2 London Fire Commissioner] is the fire and rescue authority for Greater London;

(d) a metropolitan county fire and civil defence authority is the fire and rescue authority for the county;

(e) the Council of the Isles of Scilly is the fire and rescue authority for the Isles of Scilly;

[F3 (f) a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA is the fire and rescue authority for the whole of its area if the Secretary of State designates it as the fire and rescue authority for that area in accordance with section 1A(1);

(g) a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA is the fire and rescue authority for a part of its area if the Secretary of State—

(i) specifies that part of its area, and

(ii) designates it as the fire and rescue authority for that part of its area,

in accordance with section 1A(2) and (3).]

[F4 (2A) If a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA is the fire and rescue authority for an area by virtue of subsection (2)(f) or (g), a council or other authority is not the fire and rescue authority for that area by virtue of subsection (2)(a) to (e) or section 2 or 4.

(2B) The functions of a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA as a fire and rescue authority are functions of the mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA exercisable only by the mayor on behalf of the combined authority or CCA.]

[F5 (2C) Schedule ZA1 makes provision about mayoral combined authorities or CCAs that are fire and rescue authorities.]

(3) In Wales—

(a) a county council is the fire and rescue authority for the county;

(b) a county borough council is the fire and rescue authority for the county borough.

(4) This section is subject to [F6 —

(a) sections 2 and 4 (schemes constituting combined fire and rescue authorities for particular areas), and

(b) sections 4A and 4B (orders providing for police and crime commissioners to be fire and rescue authorities).]

[F7 (5) This section is also subject to—

(a) an order under Part 6 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 which transfers the functions of a fire and rescue authority to a combined authority established under section 103 of that Act;

(b) an order under Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 which transfers the functions of a fire and rescue authority to a combined county authority established under section 9(1) of that Act.]

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in s. 1(2)(c) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 1.4.2018 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 2 para. 111; S.I. 2018/227, reg. 4(c)

F3 S. 1(2)(f)(g) inserted (29.4.2026 for specified purposes, 29.6.2026 in so far as not already in force) by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23), ss. 48(2), 108(1)(5) (with s. 102)

F4 S. 1(2A)(2B) inserted (29.4.2026 for specified purposes, 29.6.2026 in so far as not already in force) by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23), ss. 48(3), 108(1)(5) (with s. 102)

F5 S. 1(2C) inserted (29.6.2026) by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23), s. 108(5), Sch. 25 para. 4(1) (with s. 102)

F6 Words in s. 1(4) substituted (31.1.2017 for specified purposes, 3.4.2017 in so far as not already in force) by Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3), s. 183(1)(5)(e), Sch. 1 para. 3; S.I. 2017/399, reg. 2, Sch. para. 38

F7 S. 1(5) substituted (26.12.2023) by Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (c. 55), s. 255(2)(c), Sch. 4 para. 157 (with s. 247)

Commencement Information

I1 S. 1 in force at 7.9.2004 for specified purposes except in relation to W. and 1.10.2004 otherwise except in relation to W. by S.I. 2004/2304, art. 2 (with art. 3)

I2 S. 1 in force at 10.11.2004 for W. by S.I. 2004/2917, art. 2

[F8 1A Designation of mayoral combined authorities and mayoral CCAs E+W

(1) The Secretary of State may by order designate a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA as the fire and rescue authority for the whole of its area.

(2) The Secretary of State may—

(a) by order specify a part of the area of a mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA, and

(b) by order designate the mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA as the fire and rescue authority for the specified part of its area.

(3) But, if the Secretary of State exercises the powers conferred by subsection (2) in relation to a particular mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA (the “relevant mayoral authority”), the Secretary of State must ensure that those powers are exercised so as to secure that—

(a) two or more parts are specified under subsection (2)(a) which, when taken together, consist of the whole of the area of the relevant mayoral authority;

(b) the relevant mayoral authority is designated as the fire and rescue authority for each specified part;

(c) all of those designations come into effect at the same time.

(4) Accordingly, where the powers conferred by subsection (2) are exercised in relation to the relevant mayoral authority—

(a) there are separate fire and rescue authorities for each area specified under subsection (2)(a);

(b) the fire and rescue authority for each of those areas is the relevant mayoral authority.

(5) The Secretary of State may by order provide for the name by which an area specified under subsection (2)(a) is to be known.

(6) An order under subsection (1) or (2)(a) or (b) may make consequential alterations to any other—

(a) section 1A(2) area,

(b) section 2 combined area, or

(c) section 4 combined area.

(7) The alterations that may be made by virtue of subsection (6) include alterations that result in a reduction or an increase in the number of such areas.

(8) An order under subsection (1) or (2)(a) or (b) may make provision for the abolition of—

(a) a metropolitan county fire and rescue authority,

(b) a combined fire and rescue authority constituted by a scheme under section 2, or

(c) a combined fire and rescue authority constituted by a scheme to which section 4 applies.

(9) The provision that may be made by regulations under section 56 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (incidental etc provision) for the purposes of, or in consequence of, an order under subsection (1) or (2)(a) or (b) relating to a particular mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA and particular area includes—

(a) provision for functions of a fire rescue authority to be exercisable in relation to the area by the mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA during a shadow period (and not by any fire and rescue authority by which those functions would otherwise be exercisable);

(b) provision for those functions to be exercisable only by the mayor on behalf of the mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA;

(c) provision about who is to scrutinise the exercise of those functions;

(d) any other incidental, consequential, transitional, transitory or supplementary provision.

(10) In this section—

• “section 1A(2) area” means an area specified in an order under subsection (2)(a) (including such an area as varied from time to time);

• “section 2 combined area” means an area for which a combined fire and rescue authority is, or used to be, constituted by a scheme under section 2 (including such an area as varied from time to time);

• “section 4 combined area” means the area for which a combined fire and rescue authority is, used to be, constituted by a scheme to which section 4 applies (including such an area as varied from time to time);

• “shadow period”, in relation to provision made in accordance with subsection (9)(a) in relation to a particular area, means a period which—

  (a)

  ends when the designation of the mayoral combined authority or mayoral CCA as the fire and rescue authority for the area takes effect, and

  (b)

  is no longer than one year.]

Textual Amendments

F8 S. 1A inserted (29.4.2026 for specified purposes, 29.6.2026 in so far as not already in force) by English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 (c. 23), ss. 48(4), 108(1)(5) (with s. 102)