This Order provides for the creation of a fire and rescue authority under section 4A of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (c.21) for the area of the Northamptonshire County Council. The person who is for the time being the police and crime commissioner for Northamptonshire is to be for the time being the new fire and rescue authority (article 3) and is to be known as the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire. The corporation sole created under that article is to be known as the Northamptonshire Commissioner Fire and Rescue Authority (‘the Authority’).

The Authority comes into being on 1st January 2019 (articles 1 and 3) and on that date the fire and rescue functions are vested in the Authority in place of the Northamptonshire County Council.

Articles 4 to 9 of the Order set out the framework for the Authority in the exercise of its functions. In particular article 5 specifies the functions that must be retained by the Authority and provision is made for the delegation of functions by the Authority to the deputy police and crime commissioner (article 6) and the chief fire officer (article 8). Provision is made for the delegation of certain functions by the deputy police and crime commissioner (article 7).

Provision is made for the protection from personal liability of a person holding the office of the Authority for the time being (article 10).

Transitional provision is made for the Authority for the financial year 2018 to 2019 (article 11).

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.