Northamptonshire commissioner says woman in charge of fire service for 10 days was 'bullied out' of job

Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner said the woman he appointed to lead the county’s fire service before she quit 10 days later was “bullied out” of the job.

Stephen Mold appointed Nicci Marzec as interim chief fire officer on July 7 after former fire chief Mark Jones left the service suddenly. She then resigned on Monday (July 17).

Mr Mold blamed the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), which opposed Ms Marzec’s appointment because she has no operational firefighting experience.

In an interview with BBC Radio Northampton, he apologised for appointing Ms Marzec “with too much haste” but denied he had broken rules by not consulting a panel of councillors and members of the public about it.

Mr Mold again denied he was in a relationship with Ms Marzec but confirmed they were friends.

After she resigned, he said their friendship had “become the story”.

He said he had appointed her to introduce cultural change in the fire service, which he said has “real challenges”.

Mr Mold said: “Literally someone said: ‘If you menstruate or have a vagina you’re likely to get a job.’ This was said to an inspector in Northamptonshire.

“I wanted to send a message that said: the culture is going to change for the fire and rescue service. Quite rightly we want to be more inclusive, we want to attract more women, more diversity.

“I put Nicci in not because she was a woman but because she had the capability to do it.”

Mr Mold added: “Essentially, I’ve made one mistake in seven years.

“I’m elected by the people of Northamptonshire and I hold my hands up and say an absolute sorry for this but I have got lots of very good work going on.”

He said: “This is about politics and ideology. [The FBU] does not want anyone who is not a firefighter at the top of the organisation and, in the end, that’s what this is really all about. I made it easy for them, didn’t I?

“We asked [Ms Marzec] to act up, she did that with integrity and it’s really…hard that essentially someone’s been bullied out of their position.”

The FBU has called for Mr Mold’s resignation.

Earlier this week, Adam Taylor, the FBU’s executive council representative for the East Midlands, said Mr Mold’s actions had been “shambolic” and that his account of events “did not appear to add up”.

Today (Friday July 21), the general secretary of the FBU, Matt Wrack, has written to Fire Minister Chris Philp requesting a Government response to the saga. The letter asks: “I would like to know whether you intend to do anything to address this mess, which has brought shame and embarrassment to the wider fire and rescue service.”

On Thursday, the chairman of Northamptonshire’s police, fire and crime panel, Councillor David Smith, said he had been “extremely concerned” Ms Marzec had been appointed without the panel’s approval.

Cllr Smith said legal advice from West Northamptonshire Council, which runs the panel, said that its approval was necessary.

Simon Tuhill, who joined the fire service on Tuesday (July 18) as deputy chief fire officer, was immediately asked to act up as interim chief fire officer.

He will be confirmed by Cllr Smith’s panel of councillors and members of the public next Thursday (July 27).

Ms Marzec now has no responsibilities in the fire and rescue service.

She remains the director of early intervention and head of paid service in Mr Mold’s office.

A spokesperson said neither carry any governance responsibilities.