Issue - meetings

·      That the amended proposal Option 5 and the commissioning of a new fire station in an appropriate location be agreed subject to a further business case setting out the delivery costs of a new station returning to Cabinet in due course. The new fire station will have two fire engines, one 24 hour whole time and one 24 hour “On-call” and a waterborne rescue capability. This will retain the same number of fire engines in that part of Surrey and supports improvements in the response standard across Surrey.

·      That the subsequent closure of Staines and Sunbury fire stations be agreed.

·      That the implementation of Option 4 be agreed should the provision of Option 5 and the “On-call” unit not be secured.

Reasons for Decisions

Option 5 supports improvements in the provision of a more equitable level of fire service response in support of the Surrey Response Standard and the Public Safety Plan.

The amended proposal has given due consideration to the concerns of local communities and leaders and surrounding boroughs by listening to their ideas and by involving residents in the decision making process. Their local knowledge combined with the revised response modelling had influenced the design and delivery of future services in Spelthorne.

[The decisions on this item can be called in by the Communities Select Committee]

The Cabinet considered options relating to the closure of Staines and Sunbury Fire Stations and the provision of an alternative service model in Spelthorne. A public consultation had been held on proposed changes in fire deployment. This included the boroughs of Spelthorne, Elmbridge and Runneymede. As a direct result of the feedback received from the consultation, an amended proposal had been developed which consisted of a new fire station at an appropriate location with two fire engines. One of these engines would be whole-time and one “On-call”, with both providing 24/7 response cover and a waterborne rescue capability. This option had been developed by working collaboratively with the local community and borough leaders and recognised the comments and concerns raised by stakeholders. The optimised location of the new fire station would support Phase 2 of Surrey Fire and Rescue Services transformation programme, the Public Safety Plan (PSP) 2011-2020.

In addition to the contributions of the petitioner and the Chairman of the Communities Select Committee made under previous agenda items, the Cabinet heard representations from Mr Robert Evans (Stanwell and Stanwell Moor). Mr Evans thanked the Cabinet Associate Responsible for Fire and Police Services for her attendance at consultation events. He drew attention to the results of the public consultation and the opposition of the MP for the area and local councillors of different parties, in response to the original proposals. He noted the willingness of residents, when asked, to consider paying more to keep both existing fire stations open and expressed concern about the potential for access difficulties in operating from a potential new site. Mr Evans stated that there was no budget for the proposed changes, that they could put lives at risk and questioned the practicalities of the proposed ‘on-call’ arrangements. He asked that the Cabinet vote not to approve the proposal or to send the amended proposal out for further public consultation.

The Cabinet Associate Responsible for Fire and Police Services expressed her thanks to the members of the Fire and Rescue Service for their hard work and commitment, noting that they had suspended their strike action in order to respond to the recent emergency conditions and help the residents of Surrey.

The proposals being considered were noted to form part of Phase 2 of the Public Service Plan previously agreed by Cabinet. Consultation had taken place and the Council had listened to the residents. Residents and the local borough council had raised concerns about the original proposal to reduce the number of fire engines based 24/7 in the area to one and this had been directly addressed in the amended proposal. Spelthorne residents would now benefit from a new fire station with two engines based on site 24/7. The provision of the service from one optimised base had been assessed and would enable the service to meet response standards within Spelthorne whilst also providing new equipment and facilities for the use of the service. On-call fire fighters already performed a valuable role in Surrey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6