‘Demanding’ four years for fire authority

Earlier this month West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority agreed draft plans which would see 10 stations closed and replaced by five new stations.

The authority needs to save around £18m over the next four years owing to Government cuts.

An Audit Commission report says the authority has “an effective system of planning for the downturn in Government funding, which is expected to be reduced by around 25 per cent over the next four years.

“Relationships with the staff and their representatives have been good and this looks set to continue in the years of change ahead.”

Councillor Tracey Austin, chairman of the fire authority’s audit committee, said: “If the authority is to continue to provide the level of service that local people deserve and have come to expect in the incredibly challenging times ahead it has not alternative but to take radical steps.

“What the Audit Commission is effectively saying is that it has confidence in our ability to live within our means, plan in an integrated way and find practical solutions based on hard evidence and meticulous research.”

The authority is currently consulting on the cost-cutting proposals.