New date announced for appointment of Northamptonshire fire chief

Nikki Watson is the PFCC’s preferred candidate for the Chief Fire Officer.

A new date to appoint Northamptonshire’s chief fire officer has been announced after the preferred candidate could not attend her initial panel hearing at the beginning of December.

Nikki Watson, retired deputy chief constable of Avon and Somerset, was selected by Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Stephen Mold as his preferred candidate in November last year. She will be the subject of a reconvened police, fire and crime panel on February 20 which will scrutinise her suitability for the important role.

The panel was told at the start of the meeting on December 6 that Ms Watson would not be in attendance as she had been called away at short notice for personal reasons. If Ms Watson is appointed, she will be the fourth chief fire officer that Northamptonshire has seen in the past 12 months.

This follows the controversial appointment of interim fire chief Nicci Marzec in July, who stepped down after just ten days due to scrutiny surrounding her friendship with the PFCC and a lack of experience in the field. Acting chief Simon Tulhill stepped up after her dismissal and has been leading the fire service since.

A fixed term of three years has been proposed for the retired police officer, with the option to extend this for up to two years. Her salary, should she be accepted, will be £155,000 per year.

Ms Watson has a 36-year career in policing and is an experienced senior leader in the emergency services and in public safety. However, the PFCC has come under fire from the FBU for choosing Ms Watson as the ‘preferred candidate’ due to her lack of experience in the fire service.

They called it “dangerous” and “insulting”.

Mr Mold said that Ms Watson was the “top performing candidate” in the recruitment process and that she “impressed with her enthusiasm for leading Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service”.

The county-wide police fire and crime panel can name her as the new chief fire officer, or can veto the appointment- this must be supported by at least two-thirds of the panel members if they believe she is unfit.