Shropshire fire service merger plan to move a step closer

Shropshire Fire & Rescue Authority is expected to give the green light to a plan for a strategic alliance with Hereford & Worcester Fire Authority when it meets tomorrow.

The alliance was initially seen as a way of staving off attempts from West Mercia's Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion to take over the running of the service.

Mr Campion's takeover was approved, but Shropshire and Wrekin Fire and Rescue Authority is now looking to block the decision after seeking judicial review of a ruling made by former Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

As the legal battle continues, the fire service has decided to press ahead with plans for an alliance, which it claims would produce cost savings that were part of the Mr Campion's successful bid.

A paper that will be considered by the fire authority at its meeting on Wednesday says the plan provides the means to tackle financial issues facing the service.

It states: "The creation of a formal strategic alliance and governance framework is a major step towards collective resilience, capacity and sustainability to effectively meet ongoing financial challenges, while also seizing the opportunity to deliver key joint priorities over the next three to five years and provide additional value to our local communities."

Capacity

The paper outlines how the authority says the plan provides a long term basis for the services to co-operate across three counties.

It states: "Over the last few months, officers from both services have worked together to prepare a plan of action to move towards a strategic alliance.

"The plan has now been completed. It aims to provide the foundation blocks to ensure long-term capacity and resilience to meet the increasing pressures of budgetary restrictions and changing demands, while sustaining first-class fire and rescue services for the communities of the three counties."

Mr Campion has previously criticised the plan saying that it "does not go far enough".

Speaking last month Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service’s chief fire officer Rod Hammerton was unable to say if the new plan would result in redundancies.

He said: “It would be impossible to say at this stage whether the outcome of our plan to review and align the leadership teams within the two fire and rescue services would provoke any redundancy situations.

“However, while we would expect some cost savings to come out of new ways of working, the alliance’s primary ambition is to create greater capacity and resilience for the two fire and rescue services – enabling them to sustain, and where necessary improve, the level of service they already provide our communities."