Greater accountability to local people, the abolition of national targets, greater clarity over national and local roles, and a withdrawal by government on setting standards for firefighters are at the heart of the government’s response, published this week, to the Fire Futures consultation.

While not providing concrete mechanisms for implementing many of these principles, the government response sets out its views that:

• Decisions on local service delivery are best made locally, not by central government
• Local fire and rescue services are accountable to local people with local responsibility for decisions and performance
• Clarity on the national and local roles in resilience arrangements will be provided within the next statutory National Framework, due in 2012

In its response to the four Fire Futures reports delivered to ministers at the end of last year, the government says the fire and rescue service has been “distracted” from focusing on local communities by the previous government’s “management from the centre, agenda to regionalise the service, and confusion instead of clarity in central and local roles.”

As if to emphasise its reduced involvement in the future direction of fire and rescue services, the government has not adopted most of the recommendations made by the four Fire Futures reports, but has placed most of the proposals in an “ideas bank”. These are for individual fire services to pick and choose, “to help deliver more accountable, effective and cost efficient services”.

But on the key issue of future funding mechanisms, decisions will be considered in the context of the wider review of the local government finance system, the first phase of which is due in July.

The response also makes clear that the government is taking a step back from involvement in developing the skills and roles of firefighters and on setting safety standards, leaving this to fire and rescue services either individually or collectively. But there will be government support on appropriate monitoring processes.

"Ending the culture of top-down Whitehall management of the fire and rescue service and restoring a focus on communities and local accountability rather than targets is at the heart of the government's approach,” said fire minister Bob Neil. “The 'ideas bank' offers the sector the freedom to determine whether these ideas fit local needs without micro-management by the government.

"We will work with the sector to develop a new National Framework, and will re-set the relationship between fire and rescue authorities and central government. We will help 'barrier bust' where fire and rescue authorities find unnecessary restrictions are stopping them from getting on with things that clearly make sense."

Download the government's response to Fire Futures