Shropshire fire chiefs hope for budget cuts U-turn
Shropshire fire chiefs say they are hopeful of a Government U-turn over budget cuts which they say could put lives at risk.
The announcement follows 'frank' discussions with Government advisor Sir Ken Knight.
Paul Raymond, chief fire officer at Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service, sent a 'clear message' to the newly retired chief fire & rescue advisor that the county was already operating on a 'minimum level of service'.
And he warned that it was impossible to make another £1 million in cuts without hitting the frontline and bringing an increased risk to public safety.
The fire service is facing cuts of £1.3 million every year until 2016, on top of £3.2 million it has already had slashed from its £20 million annual budget.
And in a meeting at Shrewsbury Fire Station, in St Michael's Street, yesterday, Sir Ken heard fears about station closures and lost fire engines if cuts are forced through.
Former firefighter Sir Ken is leading a review into 'efficiency savings' with the fire service nationwide. As part of the review he will visit 15 fire and rescue services before reporting back to the Government.
Mr Raymond said: "It was a very successful meeting and we managed to get across all the key points about how we've already made substantial cuts to the service.
"We made it very clear that our number one priority is to protect residents and that there's only so much you can do before it starts to impact on the frontline."
But Mr Raymond said Sir Ken was unable to comment on the Government blocking them from increasing its Council Tax share by more than two per cent as it was a 'political' rather than 'operational' issue.
