Don't blame me for fire HQ fiasco, says John Prescott

The state-of-the-art centre has never even opened but is costing taxpayers millions each year in running costs.

Plans to use the centre have now been scrapped completely and Lord Prescott said he still wanted to know how the project went so over budget.

As Tony Blair's deputy from 1997 to 2007, he was in charge of plans for regional government including the scheme for fire nine regional control centres to replace 46 smaller bases.

The project was meant to cost £120m but ended up costing £635m before the plug was pulled by the coalition government in 2010. Taxpayers are footing a £48m rental bill over the life of a 25-year lease for the building at Wolverhampton Business Park, close to junction 2 of the M54.

The building was meant to bring the control rooms of the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Hereford and Worcester services under one roof. It included a £6,000 coffee machine.

Lord Prescott today laid the blame at the door of civil servants including Sir Peter Housden, who was permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government when the project started. Sir Peter is now Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government.

Lord Prescott said: "When I left office that was a programme that was going to cost £100m. They confirmed it was on budget.

Twelve months after I left it went up to this enormous figure. The bloody civil servant in charge of it who is now in Scotland, they didn't call him before the committee because he's no longer in charge of it. Why did it go to that amount?"

Mr Prescott responded to claims by senior civil servant, Sir Bob Kerslake, the permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Sir Bob has said the scheme may not even have been necessary.

Lord Prescott added: "The regional concept was right. It was recommended to me after a strike. We had a bit of a ding dong."

Why fire HQ plans went up in smoke - See today's Shropshire Star