Three fire and rescue services should be merged and put under the control of the new North East mayor, a top firefighter has urged.
On the day that he announced his retirement as Tyne and Wear’s chief fire officer, Chris Lowther has called for a major reorganisation of the region’s emergency services. A £4bn-plus devolution deal for the North East is due to see a new elected mayor take office next year, governing a combined authority that would stretch across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham.
The deal does not include any funding or responsibility to deliver fire and rescue services – but that is a power held by mayors in Manchester and London. Speaking at a Fire Authority meeting on Monday, Mr Lowther suggested replicating that model in the North East by combining the Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, and Durham and Darlington brigades into one.
