Tyne and Wear’s most senior firefighter hopes cuts to life-saving frontline services are “in the past”.
Chris Lowther, who announced on Monday that he plans to retire as chief fire officer of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), vowed that communities can expect to see jobs and fire stations protected – despite mounting economic pressures. Mr Lowther, who has been at the helm of TWFRS since 2017, has overseen a challenging period that has encompassed ongoing budget struggles, the Covid pandemic, and now new financial pressures caused by inflation.
But, after confirming his impending departure at a Fire Authority meeting on Monday, the 50-year-old told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he does not “see any frontline cuts coming in the future”. Mr Lowther said: “One of the reasons I am comfortable to retire at the moment is the strength of the position the budget is in.”
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He added: “The budget is in a really solid place. We understand how to do efficiencies in this service and the way we have structured the budget in my six years as chief officer is, unless there is anything I can’t see in the future, we will not be making cuts to the frontline anytime soon – and hopefully not again. That time, I hope, is in the past.”
However, the Gateshead-born fire chief reiterated calls for a “fair funding formula” from the Government to help poorer areas like Tyne and Wear and warned that “you cannot get away from the fact that resources are insufficient, moving forward, to give the public what they want”.
Sunderland councillor and fire authority chair Phil Tye, who said he was “devastated” to see the well-respected Mr Lowther stepping away, added: “If you look at the two areas of the country with the worst funding, Cleveland is first and Tyne and Wear is second – [areas with] the most risk, high risk, most likely to have a fire in those areas of deprivation. They [the Government] need to address that and address it really, really quickly.”
Mr Lowther, who joined the fire service in 1997 and rose through the ranks to take the top job, said he believed that a “new chief with new ideas” was needed at TWFRS but pledged to keep working for the benefit of the North East. He told the LDRS: “It is not lost on me that our community has invested heavily in me over the years. I am 50 years old, I have a lot of energy, I have a lot more to offer.
“I would hope to undertake a role that allows me to continue to improve outcomes for our community, that is what is a passion for me. Somebody in my position could work in the Middle East and have a totally different lifestyle – that is not for me.
“I am proud of where I have come from, I have always worked in the North East, and I will continue to work with the North East – the only thing I want is continued outcomes for our community. How I will be able to contribute to that I don’t know, but that is what I will do in retirement.”
It is expected that a replacement chief will be announced in May and Mr Lowther will remain in post following the appointment for a handover period, with him retiring no later than October 31.
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