PRIME MINISTER, SAVE OUR FIRE SERVICE CONTROL CENTRE! (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

PRIME MINISTER, SAVE OUR FIRE SERVICE CONTROL CENTRE!

August 9, 2007 8:22 PM

Gloucestershire County Council's Liberal Democrats have launched a petition on the 10 Downing Street website to save the County's Tri-Service Emergency Services Control Centre.

The appeal follows the highly professional response of Gloucestershire's emergency services to the recent flooding catastrophe.

The close working of Police and Fire Service Staff in the Tri-Service Control Centre at Waterwells proved vital to the co-ordination of the response to flooding. In particular, the Centre was at the heart of the operation to secure the Walham Switching Centre, without which the County may have faced disastrous consequences.

Current Government plans would isolate Fire Service staff from the Control Centre in Gloucestershire and relocate them as far afield as Taunton.

Local Liberal Democrats are appealing to the Prime Minister to review these plans. Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Jeremy Hilton, who has sponsored the petition, was cabinet member for Fire during the previous administration when the Tri-Service Control Centre was opened. He and the Liberal Democrat group have campaigned for over a year for a review of plans to close it.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton said:

"The response to the recent flooding emergency proves the point we have been making for months. The Government has to rethink its plans to relocate Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service control room staff out of the County. Gordon Brown and the new Minister for Fire, Parmjit Dhanda, have been singing the praises of the emergency services ever since flooding hit Gloucestershire. Why do they insist upon making their job more difficult with these senseless plans for relocation?"

Liberal Democrat spokesman for Community Safety, Bill Crowther, said:

"With the flooding in Gloucestershire, the Tri-Service Control Centre rose to an incredible challenge with the highest degree of professionalism. It is clear that with Fire Control staff located in Taunton, the integrated response of the County's emergency services would have suffered and been much less effective.

"I would urge people in Gloucestershire to sign this petition and demand a review from the Government. It would be disgraceful if the Government did not at least have pause for thought following the performance of our emergency services during this recent crisis."

The Liberal Democrat petition has now been submitted to the Number 10 website. To register support see:-http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/TriService/