A series of huge mistakes at Liverpool Council could add £1 million to the energy bills of the local fire service and could lead to service cuts.
A city councillor has warned of the potential impact on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service after the catalogue of errors made at the council over a new electricity contract. The failures and miscommunications saw the council placed onto a higher tariff that will add millions to their own bill and to the bills of city schools and the fire service, who are involved in the same deal.
A number of city schools have already spoken of the impact any extra costs could have on them. Cllr Andrew Makinson, a Liberal Democrat councillor who sits on the fire authority has now said the fire service could be hit hard as well.
READ MORE: Liverpool Council £16m energy debacle will have 'devastating consequences'
He said he understands the catalogue of mistakes could see Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service's electricity bill come in at £1 million more than expected. The service's costs should have been £600,000 - already far higher than last year because of the volatility of the market - but with the added problems created by the council, it is expected to be priced up at £1.6m.
Cllr Makinson said the council must now commit to funding any extra costs to schools or the fire service that have been created by the mistakes made in the Cunard Building. He said: "The council needs to do the right thing, and give a guarantee that schools and the fire service will not pay for their mistakes. It’s bad enough that Liverpool Council Tax Payers will foot the bill for this, but it’s not acceptable for this Labour council to impose cuts on firefighters and cuts in our classrooms because of their incompetence.”
The fire service has been in discussions with the city council over the mistakes and their impact. The saga is now the subject of an independent investigation, with Mayor Joanne Anderson demanding 'full accountability' for the costly errors. The service said it is looking at whether or not to scrap its deal with the council.
A Merseyside Fire & Rescue service spokesperson said: "Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service have been in discussion with Liverpool City Council with regards to the situation and at this time we await the outcome of the independent review, actual costs and suggested remedy before considering our next steps.
"We have understandably commissioned an internal audit to review of our agreement with Liverpool City Council from an Authority perspective and will implement any recommendations from this review. Following the outcome of the Liverpool City Council’s independent review, the Authority will consider whether it continues to procure its utilities through Liverpool City Council or seeks to introduce an alternative arrangement which we are currently exploring."
