Scarborough Councillor: 'East coast getting let down' with fire service changes
Cllr Rich Maw said he "completely and fundamentally" disagreed with the changes
Changes to Scarborough’s fire and rescue services are set to go ahead after a pilot programme in Harrogate despite “grave concerns” about the impact on East coast residents.
North Yorkshire’s police, fire and crime commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has finalised plans to “transform” the county’s fire and rescue services over the next three years.
The commissioner has said that the plans will “increase and enhance prevention and protection” and will create financial savings.
The changes will initially cut night-time fire crews in Harrogate and are planned for implementation in Scarborough after a three-year pilot and a review.
Currently, Scarborough has a 24-hour-manned emergency rescue fire engine, crewed by four firefighters as well as a light rescue fire engine, which has fewer response capabilities, manned by three firefighters.
In three years time, the light rescue fire engine will be replaced with another full emergency rescue engine, but this will only be manned and active during the day “when emergencies are most likely to happen”.
The changes, which will take place in Harrogate first and then Scarborough, have been described as putting East coast residents at risk.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Rich Maw said he “completely and fundamentally” disagreed with the changes.
Cllr Maw, who represents Weaponness and Ramshill on both the borough and county councils, said: “In my view, the newly elected police, fire and crime commissioner should be demanding more cash for the service as opposed to cutting back on services in order to mask government underfunding.
“She has said there won’t be redundancies but there will be a loss of staff as retirements are made and those places are not filled.
“We are told if there was a callout during the night in Scarborough it would only ever take 30 minutes to get a second engine there.”
“The best way to solve that would be to have two fully crewed working engines the whole time on the East coast.”
He added: “And bit by bit, I fear that the East coast is getting let down. I’m bitterly disappointed and not surprised given the way the consultation was handled.”
The commissioner conducted a three-month consultation with the public which consisted of 12 public events at which 1,400 people “actively engaged” as well focus groups and “an online survey which received 1,300 responses”.
However, Labour’s Cllr Maw said he was “a little bit disappointed” by the way the consultation was conducted.
“I think the survey which they produced presented a pro-change argument as a positive. The way you ask a question can formulate how a reply is given,” he said.
He added: “For example, question 4c. was ‘to what extent do you agree/disagree with the proposal to replace a tactical response fire engine with an emergency rescue fire engine, crewed during daytime hours when emergencies are most likely to happen?’.
“So they’re asking you a question and then giving you a prod with which direction to formulate an answer. I think that’s a little bit unfair and I’ve seen that in polling depending on how a question is raised.”
Commissioner Metcalfe said: “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 you, which you said was increasing and enhancing prevention and protection work to stop incidents from happening in the first place.”
She added: “Some areas of the service will change, and I know change can be unsettling, but I remain confident that the right people, will be in the right place, with the right equipment at the right time, to support everyone in North Yorkshire and York.”