Fire service cuts consultation extended

A public consultation on major changes to the way a fire service is structured has been extended.

Oxfordshire County Council said people can now comment on its proposed changes - which it says will improve safety and efficiency - until the end of January.

The plans include closing fire stations in Eynsham, Woodstock and Henley, as well as the relocation of crews away from larger stations and changes to shift patterns.

Reacting to the consultation extension, John Shuker from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said it "prolonged" the "stress and anxiety" for firefighters.

"But on the flip side, we also understand from the meetings that we've had with the general public that they do want the chance to respond, so let's make sure that they get their chance to have their voice [heard]," he told the BBC.

"Our stance hasn't changed - we still want these proposals to be withdrawn, and to get around the table and negotiate a better way forward for Oxfordshire."

Rob MacDougall, the service's chief fire officer, said: "Based on the interest shown, and because we want as wide a contribution of opinions as possible, we've now decided to keep it open for another couple of weeks, until the end of this month."

He also thanked people for the more than 900 responses already received.

Among the proposals are plans to create five day-shift fire engines in Wallingford, Faringdon, Witney, Bicester and Chipping Norton.

It also includes the removal of the on-call fire engine from Oxford's Rewley Road due to low staffing levels.

No closures have been confirmed as part of the proposals, but the service had said on-call stations at Woodstock, Eynsham and Henley were being considered for shutdown due to "persistent low fire engine availability".

Mr MacDougall previously said it would result in "better response times to the whole of Oxfordshire", but the FBU has warned they will put lives at risk.

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