Shropshire fire authority backs shared control room move

Shropshire's fire authority has backed a move which will see the formation of a shared control room with Hereford and Worcester fire service.

Plans to create a regional control centre in Wolverhampton were scrapped in December after the Government decided the project could not be delivered on time.

Now the two fire services have agreed to operate one control centre from two locations - one in Shropshire and one in Worcestershire.

Both Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority agreed to the move at meetings this week. Further details will be discussed over the next few months.

Officials have claimed the move will maintain the level of service currently provided.

Councillor Stuart West, chairman of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority, said: "It will mean that the communities across the area will continue to have a resilient and cost effective fire and rescue service."

Brigadier Peter Jones CBE, chairman of Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority, said: "The planned collaboration with Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service will deliver a state-of-the-art control room."