Concerns raised over proposed fire service changes

Councillors have raised concerns over plans to reorganise a county's fire and rescue service.

Oxfordshire County Council is running a public consultation until 20 January on a package of changes to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue service, which includes some station closures.

Green party councillors in Kidlington and members of West Oxfordshire District Council have urged the local authority for the county to rethink the plans.

Rob McDougall, Chief Fire Officer for Oxfordshire County Council's fire and rescue service said it welcomes "feedback" and "engagement" during the consultation period and beyond.

The proposals suggest closing stations in Kidlington and Oxford's Rewley Road and replacing them with a single new station in north Oxford.

Stations in Eynsham, Woodstock and Henley are also proposed for closure, alongside the introduction of new shift patterns and five fire engines, which would only be crewed for day shifts.

The county council has said the changes could result in around 42 redundancies.

Kidlington Parish Council's three Green party councillors - Fiona Mawson, Linda Ward and Ian Middleton - have written to Oxfordshire County Council's cabinet member for Community Wellbeing and Safety, raising concerns that many residents are unaware of proposed fire service changes and warning of the impact on a rapidly growing area.

The councillors said crews at Kidlington Fire Station told them the plans could harm response times and morale.

They added that some firefighters in tied housing were concerned they could lose their homes as a result of the changes.

Mawson said she was "impressed" by firefighters' professionalism and questioned how reducing engines and stations would improve safety, while Middleton said many staff felt they had not been fully consulted.

West Oxfordshire District Council has also raised objections, especially over the closures of Eynsham and Woodstock stations.

On 7 January, its scrutiny committee agreed to request further data on worst case response times and the effect of future housing growth.

At the meeting, Conservative councillor Liam Walker said decisions should be delayed until more information is available.

In response to the comments McDougall said the move to close Kidlington and Rewley Road stations and build a new north Oxford site is part of a "medium-term plan" to modernise facilities and improve response capability.

He added that population growth does not automatically lead to more emergencies, and "serious fires have decreased by over 30% since 2009/10".

"Our proposals aim to improve daytime fire engine availability and improve our fire engine response times, particularly in rural areas, by reallocating resources to where they are most needed," he said.

He reassured firefighters in tied housing that they would not lose their homes, and any changes in Kidlington would not take effect before 2029, with around three years' notice.

When asked whether there had been a fair consultation before the proposals were announced, McDougall said the Fire Brigades Union was briefed before wider staff and public consultation, and the service says it remains committed to ongoing engagement with the union.

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