A fire chief has slammed the government’s levelling up secretary after millions of pounds in funding was withdrawn, leaving services in the North East in a “perilous” position.
Stuart Errington, the outgoing chief fire officer at County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, wrote to Michael Gove blaming the government for a “funding crisis” which he says saw £10 million cut from the region’s fire service budget in 12 years.
Mr Errington said the Conservatives have slashed government funding - including a £1.3 million payment each year to spend on new stations and appliances, which he says was “stealthily” taken away in 2014.
