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Chief Fire Officer visits Westminster

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Chief Fire Officer visits Westminster

The Chief Fire Officer from Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) was invited to Westminster last week (Thursday 11 November) to meet with local MPs and the Fire Minister, to discuss the impact of the potential cuts the Service may be facing as a result of the recently announced Comprehensive Spending Review.


Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates, accompanied by Martin Reohorn, Director of Finance with HWFRS, met with Fire Minister Bob Neill MP and Members of Parliament from Herefordshire and Worcestershire to discuss the effect of such cuts within the two counties.

During the meeting, which was arranged by Bill Wiggin, Member of Parliament for North Herefordshire, CFO Yates briefed the Minister on the historical imbalance within the grant funding from government to HWFRS, and explained the potential impact that the 25 per cent or more reduction in grant that is now predicted might have on the Service, especially considering the particular challenges associated with more rural areas.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates said: "The Minister listened intently to what we had to say, and while no promises were made, he certainly seemed to have a good understanding of the difficulties we face in providing fire and rescue cover across our rural communities.

"I appreciate the support we have received from our local MPs regarding this matter and feel reassured that the Minister has listened to and understands the challenges that a Fire Service like Hereford & Worcester faces with its predominantly rural geography."

He continued: "Our grant allocation from government will not be known until the first week of December so until that time I can only work on estimates and a range of different scenarios, but I do know that any significant cuts in the Authority's budget will not be easily dealt with."

Also at the meeting were Sajid Javid MP (Bromsgrove), Karen Lumley MP (Redditch), Robin Walker MP (Worcester), Harriet Baldwin MP (West Worcestershire) and Mark Garnier MP (Wyre Forest).