MP's plea to leave fire service alone (From Warrington Guardian)

MP's plea to leave fire service alone

EDDISBURY MP Stephen O'Brien has voiced fears over the Government's plans for 'regionalising' the fire service in Cheshire.

According to Mr O'Brien, a White Paper doing the rounds at Westminster could see Cheshire Fire Authority abolished and replaced with officials located at a distant regional level.

The Conservative MP has also written to Nick Raynsford, the Local Government Minister, to seek assurances from the Government on the future of Cheshire Fire Service's Winsford headquarters.

Mr O'Brien said: "I am very concerned about the Government's plans to give itself powers to abolish fire authorities such as Cheshire and across the country, replacing them with bodies possibly based in Manchester or Wigan.

"It is important that after so much money has been invested in modern premises at the heart of the county, the future of the Winsford HQ and the people employed there is secure and will continue to play a major role under any re-structuring plans if the Government succeeds in abolishing the historic county of Cheshire.

But a spokesman for Cheshire Fire Service said: "Within the White Paper, the long-term effects of regionalisation are not clear. What the White Paper has asked for is that the fire authority establishes a regional political structure by April this year.

"The north west is well on with that and it already exists - members of the fire authority already come together to discuss regional issues. There are no plans beyond that for regional fire brigades, as explained in the White Paper.

"We believe that it is premature to be thinking about job cuts at the Winsford site and it will be speculation to say currently where the site would sit in a regional fire brigade because that's not firmly part of the agenda at the moment.

"The investment in the Winsford site is very positive and both now and in the long-term will continue to bring benefits to Winsford, Vale Royal and the county.

"There's no question of that investment having been a waste of money."

rfraser@guardiangrp.co.uk