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Move to block proposed fire service cuts defeated

Martin HeathBuckinghamshire political reporter
News imageRoger Perry A two-storey hotel on fire with smoke rising from what remains of the roof. Much of the upper storey has collapsed. A telescopic ladder on a fire engine has been raised over the building, and a jet of water is spraying from it. There is another fire engine in the foreground. There is a small blue POLICE sign with an arrow pointing right at the bottom of the picture. There is a tree to the right of the telescopic ladder.Roger Perry
Memories of a large hotel fire in 2021 have made some people in Stokenchurch very protective of their fire station

A move to block proposals for cuts to a county's fire service has failed.

Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority (BMKFA) is considering options which include closing two stations and removing eight fire engines.

The previous chair of BMKFA said proper procedures had not been followed before the options went forward for staff consultation.

Members voted against his motion to have the measures considered by the authority's full executive at a meeting on Thursday.

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Simon Rouse with medium-length dark hair combed back. He is looking at the camera and wearing a dark blue jacket with light blue shirt and dark blue tie. He is standing in front of a white wall, with a window covered by a blind to his right.Martin Heath/BBC
Simon Rouse, who used to chair the BMKFA, said the authority had suffered a "collapse of governance"

Simon Rouse, the Conservative councillor who chaired BMKFA until June 2025, told the meeting that the options for changes to the on-call firefighting service were compiled at a workshop to which members from his party were not invited.

He described this as a "complete and utter collapse of scrutiny and governance" at the authority.

He called for the full executive committee to undertake a detailed review of the proposals before they went to public consultation.

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Robin Stutchbury with a ginger and white beard wearing a purple patterned head covering, a dark brown jacket, blue shirt and grey tie. He also has a red STAFF lanyard. He is sitting in a room with a large wooden table, a TV screen on the wall and blue-framed windows behind him.Martin Heath/BBC
Robin Stutchbury believes the motion was "politically motivated"

Robin Stutchbury, an independent councillor, described the motion as "politically motivated".

He said no decisions had been made, adding: "I really worry that people are being frightened [about the cuts] unnecessarily."

The vote went against the motion and the council said officers would now develop a formal proposal, which would be presented to the Fire Authority for discussion.

Members will then decide whether it should go out to public consultation before a final decision is made.

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Two-storey brick-built fire station with large folding doors across the front (to accommodate fire engines). The words FIRE STATION are visible in white lettering above the doors. There are aerials on top of the building. A gate to the right gives access to the yard behind the building. The area in front is painted with yellow hatching and there is a yellow clothes donations skip to the right.Martin Heath/BBC
Stokenchurch Fire Station is valued by villagers, although some say it is not well used

People in Stokenchurch are certainly getting worried about the prospect of losing their fire station.

The remains of the King's Hotel, ravaged by fire in 2021, are a daily reminder of the need for effective fire cover.

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Two-storey hotel building with the upper storey badly damaged by fire. The roof has caved in. There is a green KING'S HOTEL sign in the foreground, with a tree immediately behind it. A grey car is parked in front of the hotel.Martin Heath/BBC
The King's Hotel in Stokenchurch is still standing, but is derelict following the 2021 fire

Villager Pamela Wells said: "I think we need a local station, particularly in view of the hotel fire which happened a few years ago.

"I think you should have something local if you have a fire."

Tricia Todd moved to the village five years ago and said: "I think I've seen fire engines there five times, so I don't really know how much it's used.

"I've got three children and we live next door but one to it, so, if there were ever anything wrong, you would be grateful to have it there."

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Two-storey white fire station with red-framed windows. Red doors are visible at the front of the building. There are two cars parked at the front. There is a hedge to the left of the picture.Martin Heath/BBC
Haddenham fire station could lose its only engine

In Haddenham, villagers have reacted badly to the idea of removing their one fire engine.

Anthony Hearn lives a short walk from the fire station and said closure would be a "terrible loss to the village - I've been here fifty years. It's part of what makes us feel safe".

A few doors down, Nick Henderson said: "The area's growing massively anyway - it sounds pretty stupid."

News imageMartin Heath/BBC Nick Henderson with short dark hair wearing a black zip-up top with a white logo. He is standing at the front door of his house. Martin Heath/BBC
Nick Henderson from Haddenham said he could not understand why the fire engine would be removed when the local population was growing

BMKFA has said it was exploring possible cuts to ensure the fire service was "ready to meet the risks our communities face today and in the future, external".

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