Cuts to Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service have been reversed, according to a union.
The Fire Brigades Union stated in a press release that £2m of cuts, which would have seen firefighters and appliances lost at London Road and Stockhill stations, have been stopped. Nottinghamshire's Fire Authority will meet tomorrow to rubber-stamp the agreement not to make cuts - a proposal which is recommended for approval.
If the cuts had gone ahead, West Bridgford Fire Station would have had to close at night due to a lack of funding for the night shift. Members of the FBU previously attended a meeting of the Combined Fire Authority, on September 23, 2022, where they campaigned for the proposals to be stopped.
The union also called for the authority and chief fire officer to join them in calling for greater investment in the service. Following the meeting the FBU has been campaigning with firefighters and supporters in the street, protesting the proposed cuts and stating that there should instead be an increase in funding for frontline services.
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The FBU has stated that these cuts will no longer take place. Ben Selby, Assistant General Secretary elect of the Fire Brigades Union said: "This is a fantastic result for the people of Nottinghamshire.
"These cuts would have inevitably increased Fire Service response times, putting the lives of those that live and work in the affected areas at an increased risk. Since 2010, budgets have been attacked by central governments, with Fire Authorities doing little to protect their communities from cuts that can cost lives."
He continued: “This result is testament to the tireless work of members and officials of the FBU in Nottinghamshire. They knew what losing these services would mean for their communities, and fought to save them with everything they had.
“When many policy-makers and onlookers doubted that our members could secure additional funding, they ignored them and cracked on with their campaign. They should be immensely proud of the result."
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service has stated that whilst a recommendation has been made to stop the cuts, a final decision will not be made until the Fire Authority meeting on Friday, February 24. NFRS recommended last week that the Nottinghamshire Fire Authority and Members of the City of Nottingham approve a 10p a week increase to the service's share of council tax and £5 for a Band D property.
Chair of the Fire Authority, Cllr Michael Payne, said: "If the 10p per week increase in our share of the council tax precept is approved by Members of the Fire Authority, we can hold off making immediate reductions to our service. This means, at this stage, proposals to remove a fire engine from London Road and Stockhill will not go ahead and West Bridgford will retain its night shift.
"Work by the Chief Fire Officer is also underway to address identified gaps in resourcing to risk faced by communities, namely in the Ashfield area. However, our financial position remains very uncertain and without further investment from central government, we may be forced to consider frontline service cuts in future years.
“Planning for the future is incredibly challenging because our fire service only receives a one-year funding from central government each year. I hope members of the fire authority approve the 10p per week increase in council tax precept, so our fire service can continue to deliver the fantastic service that it does to all of our communities.”
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