Responding to comments made by Hannah Blythyn about the appointment of Stuart Millington as the interim chief fire officer in South Wales, Joel James MS, Shadow Minister for Social Partnership, said:
Hannah Blythyn has appointed four commissioners each earning £550 per day without any proof of their suitability for the post or the skills they possess to deliver the change SWFRS needs.
The appointment of Stuart Millington by the commissioners shows their lack of due diligence and poor understanding of how SWFRS staff would react, and this has clearly taken Hannah Blythyn and the Welsh Government by surprise.
The Deputy Minister is plainly refusing to answer any questions on this unsuitable appointment and in my mind, there should be an apology to SWFRS staff and a rethink of the commissioner appointments.
I was the first to call for a Wales wide review of the culture of the Welsh Fire Service and this whole debacle proves that we desperately need one to bring back public confidence.
