Changes to fire services in North Yorkshire branded "outrageous"

Campaigners say they are hugely disappointed by the plans put forward

Published 30th Sep 2022

Campaigners say planned changes to the way North Yorkshire fire service is run will "put public safety at risk".

Yesterday the Police Crime and Fire Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe confirmed they will push ahead with a raft of measures including no longer staffing Huntington Fire station 24 hours a day and instead using "on call" firefighters to respond to incidents.

But some local councillors say it's the wrong move, and are worried it will impact response times. Lib Dem Councillor Tony Fisher who represents Strensall says: “It’s incredibly disappointing to see the Commissioner proceed with these dangerous proposals. She has completely ignored the thousands of residents most directly impacted by the cuts, who have been rightly angered by the plans. Outrageously, she has also chosen to ignore repeated warnings over the impact that these cuts will have on the fire crew’s capacity to respond to calls, where every single minute matters."

Lib Dem Councillor Keith Aspden who is the Council Leader and Vice-Chair of the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel says he will be writing to the Secretary of State and relevant Ministers to explain their concerns and urge them to provide more funding.

But speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Zoe Metcalfe says the changes are not about saving money and will put resources where they are needed most: "I have made these decisions to support the transformation of our Fire and Rescue Service based on extensive evidence and from listening to what is important to people, which they said was increasing and enhancing prevention and protection work to stop incidents from happening in the first place.

During my consultation my office and I had many great conversations across communities, taking the opportunity to listen and discuss what the proposals would mean and how they were in the best interest of keeping people safe and feeling safe. I want to personally thank everyone who attended one of our consultation events and completed the online questionnaire – your views are always important.

Some areas of the Service will change, and I know change can be unsettling, but I remain confident that the right people, with be in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to support everyone in North Yorkshire and York.”

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