ABSTRACT
Policymakers in the UK are paying increasing attention to the governance and accountability of emergency services. However, critics contend that commissioner and mayoral models provide for an unhealthy concentration of power whilst some doubt that a single governance framework could oversee three similar but distinct emergency services. Drawing on recent research on police and crime commissioners, this chapter presents a critical assessment of new accountability mechanisms for blue light services and reviews the prospects and potential of future integrated emergency service governance systems.
