Defending Fire Stations

After a morning at Conference, I drove down to Bedworth with North Warwickshire Candidate, Dan Byles to attend a meeting to discuss proposals to make changes to Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. There is a number of ways in which it is proposed to improve the service residents receieve but unsurprisingly, the one to get the most attention is the one to reduce the number of Fire Stations across the County. A consultation document has been issued which includes the option of closing Nuneaton and Bedworth Fire Stations and replacing them with one new station between the two towns. This is of concern to me as Bulkington and villages to the north of Rugby constituency are covered from Bedworth. I felt that the consultation had it weaknesses but was prepared to hear what the Deputy Fire Officer had to say in support of this idea. The longer the meeting went on, the more clear it became to me that this particular part of the proposal hasn't been properly thought through and they strike me as too loose, too vague and too one sided. I will be attending a further meeting in Brinklow this coming Monday, Oct 12 when residents will be able to have their say on proposals to close the Fire Station there.