Torbay MP Adrian Sanders has been tackling the Government over its controversial and expensive plans to amalgamate the South West’s fire control service in one location, while reducing the number of staff on duty.
The Fire Brigades Union has stated that technical delays will cost the taxpayer an extra £4.5million. The project was due to be operational in 2007 but Devon & Cornwall fire brigade is likely to move to the new system in May 2011 at the earliest. Once the new system is fully operational, the number of fire control operators will move from a minimum of 23 on duty in the South West to just 5.
Mr Sanders has condemned the Government’s proposals as a cost cutting exercise that has consistently gone against the advice of front line firefighters.
Following the withdrawal of support for the manning of Torbay’s aerial fire appliance, Mr Sanders has also been seeking assurances from the fire authority that a new appliance will be provided in spite of the changes. The current appliance has been unavailable for up to a week at a time due to mechanical problems but Chief Fire Officer Lee Howell has now confirmed that ‘a procurement process to replace the vehicle with the most up to date model available’ has just begun.
Adrian commented: “The Government has continued to ignore the expert advice of firefighters on how to run their own service, all in an expensive and failing bid to improve efficiency. I wholly support the Fire Brigades Union’s call to abandon this project.”
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