Alex Norris MP addressed chief fire officers at the Local Government Association (LGA) Fire Conference in March 2025, confirming his new role as fire minister and noting the level of change across the fire sector
As reported by Emergency Services Times, Norris, who is currently Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Growth and Building Safety will take on fire duties once responsibility has transferred from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) on 1 April 2025.
Speaking to fire service professionals at the annual conference, Norris said it was a “real pleasure” to be taking on the Fire Minister role, adding it was a “profound responsibility”.
As previously reported by the FPA, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer released a written statement in February 2025 to confirm that the responsibility for fire would be moved to MHCLG, as per the recommendation set out in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report.
At the time, Sir Keir stated: “This change will bring responsibility for building safety and fire under a single Secretary of State, providing for a more coherent approach to keeping people safe from fire in their homes.”
Norris highlighted the advantages of the shift: “We have a huge asset in our department because we are led by the Deputy Prime Minister, so conversations about fire, building safety, and our duties to the Grenfell community take place every day.”
Touching on the government’s recent response to all 58 recommendations of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report, Norris also mentioned a new Ministerial Advisory Group that would be “an important place where all partners, including government, get around the table and look at long-standing issues. It is structured in a way that is collaborative.”
He added: “As a new Minister I find this exceptionally reassuring.”
Alongside this, Norris shared his support for the creation of a College of Fire, having previously been a councillor for the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Authority:
“I am very excited about the idea of the College of Fire, it’s a conversation I’ve been having over the years with chiefs, authority leaders, and unions.”
Read more at Emergency Services Times here.