Fire chief to step down due to pension issues

LEICESTERSHIRE chief fire officer Steve Lunn has announced he is leaving the £126,000-a-year post after little more than a year in the job.

Mr Lunn has confirmed he is to retire at the end of the year.

His departure will mean the service will have to find its third new chief fire officer (CFO) in just over two turbulent years.

Mr Lunn, who is eligible to retire at 53, has informed fire authority chairman Councillor Nick Rushton of his decision.

Mr Lunn did not respond to requests for a comment but then issued an announcement to staff, seen by our sister paper the Leicester Mercury, designed to quell rumours about his future.

He said he had told ‘one or two’ people about his decision last week adding: “The fire service has, for the entire period of my employment, always been renowned for its ability to thrive on a rumour and these rumours over the last 32 years have been extremely funny.

“It has always surprised me how quickly a rumour can spread and become distorted. On this occasion the rumour has come all the way back to the originator - me.”

Earlier this year Mr Lunn outlined another controversial proposal to close the city’s Lancaster Road Central Fire Station - a proposal due to be debated by the fire authority later this month.

However he said the negative reaction to the suggestion had not prompted his decision.

He said: “I have not won the lottery. I am not being suspended or investigated. I have not been asked to retire.

“It is a fact that following a review of my pension circumstances I now find myself in a very strange position.”

Mr Lunn, who approved the cutting of his own salary by £22,000 earlier this year, said his continued employment was having a very detrimental effect on his pension rights, stating they are reducing and have been for the past two years.

He said the only way round it would be to retire and then be re-employed after drawing some of his pension but that he did not want to take this approach.

He added: “I do not want to retire. I do not want to say goodbye to the fire service because I think I still have a lot to offer but I have to protect my long-term interests.” He said he wanted to go out on a high. Mr Lunn only became the chief fire officer officially in December but had held the role in acting capacity since May last year when he took over from Richard Chandler.

Mr Chandler departed unexpectedly, with a pay off of around £84,000, after overseeing controversial cost-cutting proposals to make firefighters redundant and close stations, including Central.

He had taken over from long-serving chief Dave Webb.

Cllr Rushton said: “It’s unfortunate Steve is going. I don’t want him to. He doesn’t want to. He’s been an excellent chief - capable and popular.

“The only way to keep him and solve his pension issue would be to let him go and rehire him. That’s happened before but it’s very unpopular and it just doesn’t smell right. “So he’s going with my best wishes.” Cllr Rushton accepted the departure of a third chief fire officer since 2015 did create ‘a little bit of instability’ but added: “We are in a much better place financially now and Steve has very capable deputies who can continue his good work.”

Cllr Stuart Bray, Liberal Democrat leader, on the fire authority, said: “We are waiting for official confirmation but he has been a good public servant.

“We have had a difficult financial challenges in the past few years and unpopular proposals. We do need a period of stability.”