Fire service launches public consultation on shake-up

The project will represent the biggest shake-up of fire cover in York in recent years, although the plans have provoked widespread opposition from union leaders.

The Yorkshire Post revealed last week that the consultation had been delayed because of "administrative issues", but the process was launched yesterday and will continue until January 18.

The North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has announced revised proposals for the scheme, which is now expected to cost 3.8m with a new station built in Kent Street.

Initial blueprints for a 4.9m scheme to redevelop the existing Clifford Street fire station, which has been deemed outdated, have already been given the go-ahead.

However, the move to Kent Street is now the preferred option as it will cost 1.1m less through being partly funded by the sale of the Clifford Street site.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Chris Anderson said: "In essence what we are proposing is to build a new fire station at Kent Street rather than at Clifford Street, a matter of a few hundred metres away.

"Investing at Clifford Street is not a good option in comparison, as the site is subject to flooding, has no training area and has a thoroughfare running through it."

Mr Anderson maintained that the introduction of a Kent Street base would take away the need for a retained fire station in the south-east of the city.

It would also prevent the threat of redundancies to retained staff at the existing Huntington station, which would continue to operate under the revised proposals.

However, senior officials from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have questioned whether there will be adequate resources available to properly staff the new Kent Street station.

The brigade is expecting to have to slash budgets by up to 1m for each of the next four financial years to cope with a dramatic reduction in grants from the Government.

The FBU has estimated that the 4m in cuts equates to the loss of about 140 firefighter posts. Fire chiefs stressed that the financial savings would not be recouped solely from redundancies.