Fire service to shed back-office staff

Every single member of administrative and 999 control room staff was invited to apply for voluntary redundancy last month as part of the cost-cutting programme, with £3m to be saved in the coming year alone.

The move came after South Yorkshire Fire Authority voted to press ahead with plans to move to a self-rostering system for firefighters and control room operators, which would save nearly £2.5m a year by making 62 firefighters and nine control posts redundant.

A spokesman said: “Due to the Government funding cuts, by 2015 we are likely to receive at least £9m less per year.

“Over 75 per cent of our budget is spent on staff costs, so it is regrettable but inevitable that our staffing levels will reduce in the coming years.

“We are determined to protect front-line services as far as possible.”

Fire authority members have previously said they are opposed to closing any of the county’s 23 fire stations.