Plans to reduce frontline services at three Nottinghamshire fire stations could be scrapped but the county's fire authority says it may be "forced" into making future cuts. Plans had been revealed last year to remove a fire engine from the London Road and Stockhill stations, whilst the night shift would have been taken away from West Bridgford.
The latter proposal caused particular concern, with Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards saying that it was "letting down constituents and the brave firefighters who serve them." But the City of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Fire Authority is now planning a council tax increase which means that it can "hold off" on making cuts.
The £5 council tax increase being proposed by the authority would see an annual bill of £89.57 for a Band D property. For those in a Band A property, the annual bill would be £59.71.
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Without any increase in council tax, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue said it would have faced a deficit of nearly £2.1 million next year, rising to £5.7 million by April 2026. If its council tax plans are approved at a meeting on February 24, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue says service provision at West Bridgford, London Road and Stockhill will stay the same.
The announcement follows a consultation on the future of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue's service provision, which also focused on the future of Ashfield Fire Station. Ashfield Fire Station lost its full-time crew in 2018 and since that time, it has been operating from 8am until 6pm with 12 full-time firefighters, then relying on on-call firefighters outside of that timeframe.
One consultation proposal would have seen £660,000 invested in returning Ashfield to a full-time station, with funding coming from the money that would have been saved by the service cuts at West Bridgford. But given the West Bridgford plans are now not going ahead, no firm commitment has been made on whether or not Ashfield will return to being full-time.
Councillor Michael Payne, the Chair of the Fire Authority, said: "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." The report to be presented at next week's meeting says the £5 council tax increase will raise an additional £1.6 million of funding, compared to a 2.95% rise which would raise £826,000.
But in terms of future financial years, Councillor Payne adds: "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."
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