Date of Request
16/12/2025
Request
Hi,
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I request a high-level summary of recorded reductions made by Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service from financial year 2010/11 to the most recently completed financial year.
Please provide, for each financial year, brief details of recorded decisions relating to:
• Closure, merger, downgrade, or removal of fire stations
• Permanent withdrawal or removal of fire appliances
• Reductions in watches, crewing levels, or duty system changes (including Day Crewing Plus)
• Reductions in wholetime operational personnel or operational supervisory roles
• Reductions or restructures affecting operational or frontline-linked support services
For each decision, please provide:
• The financial year
• A short description of the change
• Any recorded estimate of annual revenue saving (£) held by the Service
If a consolidated summary table is already held, please provide it. If not, a simple list by year is sufficient.
This request is limited to recorded information only and does not require the creation of new analysis, forecasts, or opinions. No personal data is requested.
If any information is withheld, please specify the exemption relied upon and explain why it applies.
If this request exceeds the appropriate cost limit, please advise which part causes the issue so the request may be refined.
Kind regards,
Response
Good Afternoon,
We thank you for your request for information, which has been received by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (the Service) and considered under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.
The Service can confirm that the information that you have requested is partially held and is as below:
Please provide, for each financial year, brief details of recorded decisions relating to:
1. Closure, merger, downgrade, or removal of fire stations
2019-2020 – Merger/Combination of Bewdley, Stourport and Kidderminster Fire Stations into single new Wyre Forest Hub fire station with the same number of fire engines combined at the new location. No recorded budget reductions as a result of this.
2. Permanent withdrawal or removal of fire appliances
2014-15 – Removal of Tenbury and Ledbury second fire engines as a result of imposed ‘austerity’ measures and government cuts. CRMP 2014-2020 estimates a total of £38,800 saving linked to Tenbury and £51,700 saving linked to Ledbury.
2023-24 – Resource Review – removal of eight On-Call fire engines – the review generated savings which have been reinvested back into front line crewing with increased wholetime staffing.
3. Reductions in watches, crewing levels, or duty system changes (including Day Crewing Plus)
Integrated Risk Management Plan 2011-12 – Fire Cover Review reduced wholetime staffing. Approximately £1million saving.
Community Risk Management Plan 2014-20 – two-year trial change of duty systems for the second fire engines at Hereford and Worcester stations to Day Crewing Plus. However, a legal challenge from the Fire Brigades Union was later changed to on day staffed (12 hour) by wholetime staff and night staffed by On-Call.
2013-14. Reduction in wholetime Watch Sizes as detailed in the CRMP at all wholetime locations. £517,000 net saving.
2014-15. Change to duty system at Bromsgrove fire station to Day Crewing Plus. Saving of £367,000, however, as above latterly changed to Wholetime which negated any saving.
4. Reductions in wholetime operational personnel or operational supervisory roles
2013-14. Flexi Officer Review. £200,000 saving.
2014-15 2013-14. USAR / Droitwich Combination savings not taken until 2015/16 £194,000
2015-16. Flexi-Officer Review. £50.000
2015-16. CRMP £799,000 in 2015/16 plus £895,000 in 2016/17. Note 2015-16 saving was offset by £603,000 of costs.
2022-23. Watch Commander B Posts – not separately identified in budget paper but budgeted cost at that point £165,000.
2025-26. Efficiency review – removal of one operational Area Commander vacant post included in the total £1.2 million savings made up from non-staff savings, removal of vacant posts and support staff posts.
Please see Pay Policy Statements for comparison. These show the numbers of staff by year by role.
· 2010-11 – Pay Policy Statement not required until 2012-13
· 2011-12 – Pay Policy Statement not required until 2012-13
· 2012-13 9a Pay Policy Statement Appendix 1 (v2)
· 2013-14 9a FRA 031-12Pay Policy Appendices 1 – 4
· 2014-15 8a Pay Policy Appendices 2014-15 – SMB version 2 (3)
· 2015-16 Pay Policy Appendices 2015-16fv3
· 2016-17 Pay Policy Appendices 2016fv3
· 2017-18 Amended Pay Policy Appendices 2017-18 Draft
· 2018-19 Pay Policy Appendices 2018-19 Final
· 2019-20 Pay Policy Appendices 2018-19 Final (These appendices have been mislabelled; this is the 2019/20 document.)
· 2020-21 Pay Policy Appendices 1.4.21 – FINAL
· 2021-22 Pay Policy Statement 1.4.22 V2
· 2022-23 Pay Policy Statement 1.4.23 Appendix
· 2023-24 Appendix 1 – Pay Policy Statement 1.4.24
· 2024-25 Appendix 1 – Pay Policy Statement 1.4.25
· 2025-26 Appendix 1 – Pay Policy Statement 1.4.26 Final
5. Reductions or restructures affecting operational or frontline-linked support services
2011-12 – Removal of one Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) post from the Service structure and to redistribute the Principal Officer references as appropriate. Saving of £149,100.
2015-16. Fire Control Review. Saving of £100,000.
In addition, please see Pay Policy Statements linked above.
If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact Information Governance on tel: 0345 122 4454 or by e-mail at informationrequests@hwfire.org.uk. In any such communication please include the reference number assigned (see Subject).
Should you have any queries regarding the management of your request and wish to make either a complaint or request a review of the information disclosed to you, please do so by using Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s complaints system: Comments and Complaints. This must be done within 40 working days of our response to your request. After this date and in line with ICO guidance the Service is not obliged to provide an internal review of your request.
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you may appeal the decision by contacting the Information Commissioner, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF, Tel: 0303 123 1113 (alternatively 01625 545745) or E-mail: casework@ico.org.uk.
Further information on Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service may be viewed at the Service’s website: www.hwfire.org.uk
Thank you for your request for information.
Kind regards,
Information Governance Team