Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold looks set to face a panel despite ongoing resignation calls

Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold looks set to face a panel despite ongoing resignation calls.

Mr Mold appointed a friend, Nicci Marzec, to lead the county’s fire service on July 7, she resigned on July 17 and has since resigned entirely from Mr Mold’s office.

Mr Mold is set to attend Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime panel on Thursday to confirm Simon Tuhill as interim chief fire officer.

Mr Tuhill joined the fire service last week as deputy chief fire officer but was asked immediately to lead it after Ms Marzec’s first resignation.

It is understood there will be a discussion into Ms Marzec’s appointment as interim chief fire officer but that it will not be open to members of the public or press.

Several members of the panel – made up of councillors and independent members – are furious it was not convened to approve Ms Marzec’s appointment after the resignation of former chief fire officer Mark Jones.

The panel’s chairman, Cllr David Smith, said last week that he had been ‘extremely concerned’ Ms Marzec was appointed without a confirmation hearing.

Anita Shields, an independent member, told BBC Radio Northampton that she felt Mr Mold’s position had become untenable.

He told the same radio station on Friday that his own legal advice said the panel did not need to meet to approve Ms Marzec’s position because she was an internal member of staff and because the position would not be permanent.

A Home Office spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Police, fire and crime commissioners (PFCCs) are required by legislation to seek the views of their police and crime panel when appointing the chief fire officer.

“In areas which have PFCCs, they are the fire and rescue authority for the area and are directly elected by the public. It is their responsibility to appoint the chief fire officer.”

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which opposed Ms Marzec’s appointment because she has no operational firefighting experience, is planning a protest outside Northampton Guildhall on Thursday, ahead of the panel’s meeting.

An FBU petition calling for Mr Mold’s resignation had been signed by 484 people on Tuesday afternoon.