Fury over councillor 'ban' at meeting to discuss cuts at Nuneaton Fire Station

Councillors claim they were not allowed into the meeting at Nuneaton Fire Station to discuss the cuts
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Fury has erupted after councillors were 'banned' from a meeting where cuts to Nuneaton Fire Station were being discussed. Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough councillors were invited to a Fire Brigade Union (FBU) meeting at the town's station last week.

This was to discuss the impact of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service's plans to cut one of the two full-time engines from the Newtown Road station. But Cllr Steve Hey, cabinet member for finance at the Town Hall, said that they were stopped from going into the meeting.

He told a full council meeting: "We did make it clear at the last council meeting that we are totally opposed to the cut in the number of appliances from Nuneaton Fire Station from two to one. This is one of the busiest stations in the county that also supports parts of Leicestershire and North Warwickshire."

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He said that council leader, Cllr Watkins, did meet with the chief fire officer and the leader of the county council to air their concerns, which he claimed were not listened to.

"But the situation gets more farcical and worrying," he continued, explaining that councillors had been invited to the local station last Friday night (September 13) by the Fire Brigade Union to discuss the impact of the cut and some had gone along.

"We were actually greeted by a very embarrassed FBU official, who informed us that he had been told by the chief fire officer not to allow us into the building, with no reason being given," he said, adding: "What on earth has Warwickshire county council got to hide?"

He said that they re-planned to meet them at another venue. "The Fire Union exec explained that Warwickshire Fire and Rescue is getting to a situation that can only be described as a dangerous reduction in services. It is not only putting firefighters at great risk but reducing the amount of cover thus putting the community at risk of a reduction.

"Not only are the Conservatives (at the county council) embarking on a dangerous set of cuts, but they are trying to stifle legitimate democratic discussion on it. What an absolute disgrace."

Fire service statement

CoventryLive put the complaint about the meeting ban and the concerns about the changes being made to the station to Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service. In a statement, a fire service spokesperson said that the proposed model will bring better response times at the local station.

The spokesperson also added that a meeting was held with FBU officials and councillors at another venue. The full fire service statement reads:

"Resourcing to Risk is an operational model that seeks to best position the Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service resources to make the biggest difference to the communities we serve. The new model is set out to align resources to activity levels and risk across the county. The proposed model improves response times to life and property incidents across Nuneaton and Bedworth.

"On the 13th September a local FBU meeting was held at Nuneaton fire station to enable FBU officials to brief it’s members. The service had agreed that this meeting could take place at the station for that purpose. The service understands that councillors were invited to the meeting by a local FBU rep, but as the meeting was designed for FBU members, FBU officials agreed to meet councillors after the meeting had concluded. This meeting took place offsite. The service is working positively with the FBU to ensure that as the model is implemented it also considers the impact of change on its employees."

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