Leader of the Conservative Group Cllr James Airey has welcomed Cumbria County Council’s announcement on 4th February 2016, that the Labour-Lib Dem run administration will not be taking forward their budget proposals to close Cumbrian fire stations.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service staff have been put through such turmoil in the wake of the proposed cuts to fire stations at Arnside, Frizington, Lazonby, Staveley and Walney as well as the proposal to remove a fire engine at Maryport. The Labour-Lib Dem run administration insisted on these cuts and was prepared to do this to our excellent firemen and women, risking safety and jobs and all for a £300,000 saving in 2016/17. Now that the Cumbrian people have spoken out, petitions have been signed and firefighters have spoken up, the administration has finally listened under pressure. I knew this would be the result if we shouted loud enough. The Labour-Lib Dem administration should never have put this forward, but I’m pleased that the obvious fractions in the Labour and Lib Dem coalition has meant they’ve weakened and have had to take an embarrassing U-turn in their proposals. The people of Cumbria now need a promise from the Administration that our fire stations will not be threatened again and that they are saved for the long term not just this year.
I can only praise the Fire Service for their amazing efforts throughout the recent floods, they were a pillar of strength to the people of Cumbria; helping to rescue people from their homes; retrieving abandoned vehicles and helping to clear routes; and this only reinforced how valuable the Fire Service is to Cumbria and how ludicrous these proposals were. I’m sure the administration will now have their tail between their legs and hope that firefighters can forgive Labour and Lib Dem Councillors for their botched proposals.