Controversial plans to axe one of Wrexham’s fire engines ruled out – for now

Proposals that would have seen the removal of one of Wrexham’s whole-time fire appliances have been ruled out – at least for now.

The plans to reduce the number of Wrexham’s engines, along with changing the hours of the county’s second whole-time fire appliance to cover daytime hours only, had been put forward as one of a number of proposals before the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority as it looked to plug an expected £1.9m budget gap.

However at a meeting of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority yesterday the controversial plans were ruled out, with members voting to consult on the following two items:

– Asking all six local councils to pay more
– Ask all six local council to pay some more and also make ‘internal cuts’.

In effect this means the proposals for Wrexham and other potential cuts across north Wales have been taken off the table for the present time.

It is the second time such proposals to axe services in Wrexham have been put forward, with a similar option consulted on and eventually withdrawn last year following strong opposition locally.

The decision has been welcomed by Clwyd South MP, Susan Elan Jones, who said: “As the MP who represents the large constituency of Clwyd South that includes many towns and villages to the South of Wrexham County Borough, I see today’s outcome as a positive one.

“Over the last eighteen months, I have worked with members of the community as well as local representatives of the Fire Brigade Union on this most vital of safety issues.

“Our chief fire officer made it quite clear that for our area to lose its second fire appliance would be to increase the risk to the public; and I’m pleased the Authority took notice.

“However it’s not over yet. As the Authority consults further, I want to repeat what I’ve said before – if the Authority ever gets rid of Wrexham area’s second appliance, people will die.

“Difficult choices have to be made because of UK Government cuts but I implore the local decision makers, what was true 18 months ago and is true today will be just as true into the future. We cannot take risks with people’s safety.”

Wrexham Councillor Marc Jones, who has headed up campaigns to ‘save the engine’, said: “This is good news for Wrexham and the entire region. The second fire engine crews regularly cover for more rural stations as well as Wrexham and I think that’s been recognised.

“It’s important now that the Fire Authority is put on a more sustainable and secure financial footing. It’s no good having this hand-to-mouth existence each year and that’s why I’d favour moving to a separate precept as the police do. By doing that, taxpayers could clearly see what they were paying for rather than the Fire Authority having to go cap in hand to the councils each year.

“The Fire Authority’s members have clearly understood the message that came from last year’s campaign – Wrexham needs its fire crews and engines and the local population are behind our firefighters 100% in ensuring our town and surrounding areas are kept safe.”