Talks held over potential police and fire service merger in Norfolk
Police and fire chiefs have begun talks over the potential merger of
Norfolk’s blue light services in a bid to reduce 999 costs, it has
emerged.
Norfolk’s police and crime commissioner said it was a “sensible” idea
to amalgamate emergency services after holding initial talks with
officials at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service.
The county’s chief fire officer added that
another meeting would be held with Norfolk Police officials next month
where the two services would discuss ways of sharing resources at a time
when public service budgets are being squeezed.
They pledged that any major changes would involve
a full staff and public consultation. However, officials from the
Norfolk Fire Brigades Union (FBU) have already raised their opposition
and expressed fears about potential job losses.
Stephen Bett, Norfolk police and crime
commissioner, said he could not rule out a future merger of the county’s
emergency services after the proposals were mooted by government
ministers earlier this summer.
Mr Bett, who was elected as the county’s first
police and crime commissioner in May, said a merger could help avoid
duplication, but depended on which party was in government following the
next general election in 2015.
However, the proposals would need new legislation
and the situation with ambulance services was more “complex” with the
East of England Ambulance Service currently covering six counties.
The crime tsar added that the “halcyon days” were
over for the emergency services and whatever party was in power in two
years time would need to continue to make public spending cuts.
“There have been talks about it and it seems
something the government is determined to bring in, but it will probably
be in the next manifesto for the next government. There does not seem
to be any aversion from any other parties. We have talked to the fire
people and seeing what their feelings are. It is all talk and nothing
has been put in motion,” he said.
Plans to merge emergency services and place them
under the control of elected police and crime commissioners have been
mooted by Home Secretary Theresa May as a way of helping to save money.
Mr Bett said: “If it came my way I would do the
best I could to make it as efficient as possible. I expect it is a lot
of hot air, but something might come of it.
“If you have a road traffic collision, the
ambulance, fire and police attend and if there is a fire, the fire,
police and an ambulance possibly attends. It is sensible to bring them
under one auspices and I can see why the PCCs would be seen as the
people to do it.
“The government has said all blue light services, but the issue with
the East of England Ambulance Service is that it is regional and we are a
county service. There would have to be quite a lot of change and would
need legislation to make those changes. There are all sorts of
ramifications and it needs to be looked at very closely.”
One of the options might be to merge control room
operations in Norfolk. The county has a police control room in
Wymondham, a fire control in nearby Hethersett and ambulance control in
Hellesdon, Norwich.
Nigel Williams, chief fire officer of the Norfolk
County Council-run Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said no changes
would be made if it meant a reduction in services for local people. He
added that the emergency services could help save money by clubbing
together to get a better deal when it comes to buying new vehicles and
equipment and bringing control room staff under one roof was also an
option.
“With tighter budgets we need to collaborate a
lot more and look at where there might be opportunities to merge parts
of the service and what that would mean.”
“The police and fire service has a challenge to
save money with the government wanting to reduce costs in the public
service and we have a responsibility to provide the best service at the
best price. We are seeing what we can do to think creatively and
innovative about delivering services,” he said.
However, Kevin Game, secretary for the Norfolk FBU, said the union would oppose any merger plans.
“All three emergency services are all trained in
specific services and you cannot have a police and crime commissioner
running a police service and fire service because the differences are so
much. It is no secret that merging emergency services together is a way
of forcing through more cuts to front-line services.
“Merging services is going to mean more job
losses in a very overstretched service. There are ways of working more
closely together without amalgamation,” he said.
Brandon Lewis, Great Yarmouth MP and fire
minister for the coalition government, said there were a few police and
fire services across the country that were looking to link up. He added
that any mergers were a “long way” off because they would require new
legislation to happen.
“Technically, a police and crime commissioner
cannot legally run a fire service and our fire service in Norfolk is one
that gets a lot of cost benefits by being part of a bigger
administration structure.
“From a fire minister point of view, I am in
favour of services working together and driving efficiencies and
delivering a better service for people,” he said.
