MP David Drew leads campaign to halt plans for regional fire centres

10:40am Tuesday 19th August 2008

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MP DAVID Drew is leading a campaign for the Government to abandon its plans for regional fire control centres, which could mean 120 South West staff face redundancy.

Government plans mean that the 46 local control rooms in England will be replaced by nine regional centres, with the seven South West HQs closing and all services being based in Taunton.

£55 million will be taken out of the public purse to pay consultants working on plans for the new regional fire control centres.

Working out at more than £6m in the South West, the figure could have paid for 300 new fire engines.

The cost was revealed by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Protests have been triggered by the plans, especially in Gloucestershire, were a £3m tri-service centre opened at Quedgeley five years ago.

But the Department for Communities and Local Government is defending the spending.

It said: "The new nationally linked fire control network will offer many benefits compared to the current system including tracking and deployment of appliances across boundaries, automatic back up and transfer of calls to other regions when high volumes are received."