Cut Fire Service Senior Management Costs To Protect Front-Line

Cllr Nigel Bell
(LD, Ely North And East)

Savings should be made from the fire service’s senior management costs so that the county’s front-line can be protected, claim Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats.

They will remind Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority tomorrow (Thursday, May 24) that the safety of the public and staff is their primary responsibility as they meet to discuss cuts of over £5 million.

"Support services and fire-fighters have faced the brunt of the cuts agreed so far but senior management have so far seemed immune from this austerity,” said Nigel Bell, Lib Dem leader on the fire authority.

“Fire-fighters have reluctantly agreed shift changes and staff reductions that create £900k of annual savings and it's time that the senior management team costs were included in the savings review.

“We cannot support cuts to the front-line, they are unacceptable and could cost lives, and we must pursue all other options.”

The Lib Dem Members proposed council tax rises of 3.5 per cent for four years, instead of the proposed 2.5 per cent for three years, to fill the estimated funding gap, an increase of 1p a week or 58p a year for Band D properties. This would have meant frontline cuts on the current predictions for government grant settlement levels could have been avoided.

They will tell the authority tomorrow to:

• Reject many of the Phase One cuts (numbered four to 12 in the table in the fire authority papers attached) and the Phase Two cuts;
• Review all the fire service’s senior management costs, including the 'Silver Fleet' vehicles, with a view to achieving savings:
• Examine all opportunities for closer working with other Fire Services to achieve potential savings;
• Consider the prudent use of reserves to offset short-term shortfalls in funding levels;
• Continue to press the case with MPs and the Fire Minister for a fair grant settlement for the county’s fire service.
• Review the level of Council Tax rise for future years.

The fire authority papers can be found here:

http://www.cambsfire.gov.uk/fireauthority/9127.php

Fire Appliances Gather Dust As Tory Tries To Block Safety Report

Cllr Nigel Bell

Two Cambridgeshire fire appliances, which cost taxpayers £1.2 million more than two years ago, are still inoperative as a leading Tory fights to delay consideration of a report into their safety and suitability.

The appliances, one based at Cambridge and the other at Standground in Peterborough have never been officially put into service because of a series of mechanical and design faults.

But as an investigation is underway into the safety and viability of the Combined Aerial Rescue Appliances, Cllr Roy Pegram, chairman of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority is trying to delay the examination of a report into the study’s findings.

He has raised a discussion paper for the authority’s meeting on Thursday (February 23) calling on the service to retain the appliances and delaying examination of the investigation report until April 2013.

This would tie the hands of the new Fire Authority which will be elected in May 2013 leaving them no room for manoeuvre on the issue.

Cambridgeshire County Councillor, Lib Dem Fiona Whelan and a Conservative member are carrying out the investigation into the appliances.

Cllr Whelan said: “There are major concerns about these appliances and we are carrying out a full investigation to see whether they are fit for purpose.

“These CARAs have been backwards and forwards for repair and have never been officially put into service. The engine for Cambridge has only 800 miles on the clock.

“We need to allow the full results of this investigation to be discussed as soon as possible to protect the safety of our fire fighters. Their safety and that of the public has to be our number one priority”

Nigel Bell, Lib Dem leader on the fire authority said: “There is absolutely no reason to delay the report into this investigation for a year. These engines have been paid for out of public money and we need to know whether they can be put into service.

“The safety concerns are of paramount importance and we need to know what we are dealing with. Leaving them gathering dust for another year does not make economic sense.”

Lib Dems Condemn Emergency Fire Cover Cuts Fearing Safety Risk

Cllr Nigel Bell
(LD, Ely North and East)

Plans which could see cuts to emergency fire cover, if more than the already planned £4.2 million savings are required over the next four years, have been condemned by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats.

They fear lives could be at risk after Tories on Cambridgeshire Fire Authority endorsed potential plans for sweeping cuts to front line services across the county.

And they claim the Tories have made these cuts inevitable by setting council tax rises at 2.5 per cent, well below current inflation levels.

“We condemn these cuts completely as they would lead to the downgrading or closure of fire stations, a reduction in fire fighters and fire appliances and an increase in emergency response times,” said Nigel Bell, Lib Dem Leader on the Fire Authority. “We have a moral duty to protect the public and these cuts are unacceptable and could cost lives.

“The Tory members have made these cuts inevitable by their insistence on setting council tax rises at well below inflation. We proposed an extra one per cent, or one pence a week, council tax rise which could have been sufficient to make these cuts unnecessary; but the Tories members rejected this at the fire authority meeting last week.”

If the cuts go-ahead they will include:

• downgrading Huntingdon Fire Station to day crew only; 
• removing second fire engines from Ramsey and St Ives; 
• closing Manea fire station and removing the fire engine;
• removing the second fire engines from Soham and Ely, removing either Burwell or Swaffham’s fire engine and removing the retained service fire engines from Thorney or Gamlingay.

 "People's lives will be put at risk by these cuts and the blame must largely fall on Tory Fire Authority Members for keeping council tax rises well below inflation,” said Cllr Bell. "We can only hope that the Government's grant to Cambridgeshire's Fire Service is fairer for the next two years and that the very worst of these cuts can then be avoided."

Petition Launched To Oppose Cuts To Front-Line Fire Service

Liberal Democrat Fire Authority members have launched a petition against cuts in front-line fire emergency services. The petition is in response to plans by fire chiefs in Cambridgeshire for £6 million of cuts to the fire service budget of the Conservative-controlled authority.

The petition can be signed on-line or can be printed off in order to collect further signatures and will be presented to the Fire Authority at its meeting in October.

Opposition Leader on Cambridgeshire Fire Authority, Councillor Nigel Bell said:

“I urge people in the county to sign this petition to oppose the plans for cuts in front-line services.

“There are serious concerns about the £4 million of cuts already imposed but the extra £2 million of cuts, which will see the closure of up to 4 fire stations and the removal of fire appliances, is unacceptable because of the risk to lives through increased response times.

“We believe that cuts to front-line services are dangerous and unnecessary. Instead we should be raising Council Tax in line with current inflation and be pressing for a fairer grant settlement achieved for rural fire services. We also believe that by closer working with neighbouring Fire Services we can save money through economies of scale, for example in our management costs.”

The petition can be found at:
http://cambslibdems.org.uk/en/petition/petition-against-cambridgeshire-fire-service-cuts