Warwickshire fire stations: date set for closures

[dutchman]

A Warwickshire council has confirmed when two county fire stations earmarked for closure will shut.


Brinklow will cease operations as a retained station on 31 August

Warwick and Brinklow stations will close at the end of the month but there is no date yet for Studley - the third that is set to shut.

Initially seven retained stations were under threat of closure - sparking protest by thousands of people.

Branch secretary Mark Rattray said the Fire Brigades Union was highly concerned about public safety.

In 2009 it was announced that Warwick, Bidford, Brinklow, Kenilworth, Studley, Fenny Compton and Bedworth stations were under threat of closure.

But the council then came up with proposals to close fewer stations which it said were not designed to cut costs but to improve services.

'Tough decisions'

The authority approved plans in July 2010 to close Brinklow, Studley and Warwick fire stations.

Chief Fire Officer Graeme Smith said: "The last year has been a real challenge.

"Whilst a lot of good work has been done, we are not complacent and we are committed to delivering the next steps of the improvement plan.

"This includes releasing capacity from decommissioning three retained fire stations, Warwick, Brinklow and Studley.

"Like most fire and rescue services, we are facing some significant challenges and we have had to take a number of tough decisions."

[dutchman]