Pay undermines fire chief's case

It makes the decisions even tougher for Ministers, especially when the policy area in question is one, like the fire service, that enjoys widespread public support because of the nature of its work.

Yet, while some will support the plea made by Mark Smitherman, South Yorkshire's chief fire officer, he needs to remember two points as he makes his case for special funding.

Firstly, doing nothing is no longer a viable option. Every aspect of spending is having to come under scrutiny. Even the NHS, one of the few organisations to have ringfenced funding, is having to finance its latest shake-up through efficiency savings.

Second, it is difficult to sympathise with a senior officer whose salary has increased by more than 40,000 over the past three years – pay rises that have been funded by the public purse.

Of course, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority will defend Mr Smitherman, their employee, and highlight the extent to which house fires have fallen under his command.

However it must be remembered that Mr Smitherman's salary package eclipses the amount paid to his counterpart in West Yorkshire, a far larger fire authority, and that the lack of realism over the long-term sustainability of above-average pay awards is one reason why the public finances are now in such a mess.

In this instance, the blame lies with the fire authority – and not Mr Smitherman – for sanctioning unjustifiable pay awards. But, having found himself in this position, the onus is now on South Yorkshire's fire chief to earn his money and ensure that he delivers the requisite efficiency savings in a way that does not imperil public safety.

Every other chief officer is having to do likewise; Mr Smitherman does not, or should not, be exempt from this process despite the merits, or otherwise, of his special pleading.