Joy as axe plans for fire station dropped
Campaigners fighting to save a threatened fire station on the Shropshire/Powys border were celebrating today after plans to close it were dropped.
Mid & West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Authority had planned to close Montgomery Fire Station to save money.
But the authority has now dropped the plans and confirmed stations at both Montgomery and Knigh-ton – which was also threatened – will remain open.
Councillor Mike Mills, Montgomery mayor and the leader of the campaign to keep the station open, said he was delighted, but also issued a note of caution for the future.
He said: "Obviously I am thrilled to hear this news and I would like to thank everyone who joined the Facebook group and the more than 700 people who signed the petition objecting to the proposed closure.
"It's very gratifying the we were able to get our message across of how important Montgomery Fire station is in ensuring the safety of our community and the surrounding areas.
"In particular I would like to thank Powys County Councillors Gillian Thomas, Kelvin Curry and Graham Jones who met with myself and agreed to support our campaign.
"However, I must add a note of caution, I suspect that we may be faced in the future the prospect of having to fight once more to ensure our fire station remains protected and our homes and businesses continue to receive its vital service."
The news was also welcomed by Adrian Hughes, national officer for Wales for the Retained Firefighters' Union. He said: "This is fantastic news and a great result; I would like to pay tribute to the elected members on the fire authority."
He added: "I'd like to thank members of the community and on-call firefighters and their families for their hard work and support."
Glyn Davies, Montgomeryshire MP, added: "It's great to see that common sense has prevailed. This is good news not only for the town of Montgomery, but also for the surrounding areas, including Shropshire."
