Talks over Shropshre fire budget cut fears
Shropshire fire chief John Redmond and county MPs will hold talks with fire minister Brandon Lewis tomorrow to raise concerns over budget cuts which they say will hit frontline services in the county.
At the meeting in London Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard, Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski and Ludlow MP Philip Dunne will challenge the minister on the budget proposals for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service – in particular a 28 per cent reduction in government funding that could see fire engines lost or stations closed.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service says it recognises the need for cuts and is on target to meet the required £3.2 million savings required by 2014. They will be achieving this by introducing pay freezes, reducing the number of firefighters, officers and support staff and adopting a leaner approach to administrative functions. But the news that a further £1.9 million in cuts are required by 2020 would potentially mean the removal of fire engines from major towns or closing up to four on-call fire stations, with Prees, Baschurch, Clun and Hodnet all under threat.
Fire chiefs say this would have a direct impact on attendance times over a significant area of Shropshire with real concerns that more cuts will lead to the loss of lives.
Shrewsbury MP Mr Kawczynski said: "More cuts in funding could see the loss of fire stations in rural areas meaning that response times will go up which I believe will put people's lives at risk."
