Fire authority spent £400k on legal costs over dismissal of chief officer

Essex Fire Authority spent more than £400,000 on legal costs associated with the dismissal of chief fire officer David Johnson.

Johnson was suspended in April 2015 and dismissed a year later.

The BBC has reported that invoices for £365,480, £35,422 and £15,000 were paid to Essex County Council, in addition to £150,000 paid to it by the authority for legal services in March and January.

In responses confirmed by the service to Local Government Lawyer, it said the spending related to Johnson’s case and “the matter was dealt with by the clerk to Essex Fire Authority.

“The clerk has delegated authority to act as the Authority's principal solicitor. The clerk advised the Fire Authority to undertake an independent investigation.

“The service’s solicitor is a member of the service leadership team and colleague of the former chief fire officer. In light of this, and our commitment to transparency and fairness, it was inappropriate for him to deal with this matter.”

Mark Smulian