Julie Elliott MP Standing up for Sunderland Central
Firefighters have cautiously welcomed the decision by Tyne and Wear Fire Authority to postpone the worst of the proposed cuts to Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.
Our fire service has lost £11.3million in funding since 2010 due to Tory austerity and, as a result, has faced some very difficult decisions in recent months on how to respond to incidents in the future.
The original plans would have seen one of two fire engines at Farringdon used as an ‘on-call’ engine only. This is now on hold after concerns were raised about the potential for longer response times.
The delay – which follows a lobbying campaign from the Fire Brigades Union and wider community – will give both the fire authority and FBU time to campaign for fairer funding from Westminster.
It is vital that our hardworking fire service should not be forced to choose between saving money and keeping people safe – which is why I will continue to fight for a fairer deal for Sunderland.
See here for more details: https://www.twfire.gov.uk/…/tyne-and-wear-fire-authority-a…/
