Click on this image to read Catherine’s letter
Newcastle North MP, Catherine McKinnell, has challenged the Fire Service Minister, Brandon Lewis, on the scale of cuts facing Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service following a response he provided to the House of Commons last week.
Questioned by Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah during Communities and Local Government Questions on 3rd March, the Minister responded that Tyne and Wear:
‘has had a cut of a couple of per cent in spending power for each of the past couple of years, and has built up its reserves and been able to spend that on extra training facilities when the Government already have a training facility.’
However, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is facing a budget cut of 23% between 2010 and 2017, and its training facility was built some 18 years ago, in 1996.
Catherine has written to the Minister asking him to either clarify his comments – or to correct his response on the record.
Catherine said:
‘Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is clearly facing significant cuts, with very serious implications for the service it provides in the future. I firmly believe that the scale of these cuts, and consequent loss of firefighter posts and station closures, is unfair, disproportionate and will put people’s lives at risk.
‘However, it’s deeply concerning that the Minister with responsibility for this critical issue could be so ill-informed. Not only does he appear oblivious to the scale of cut actually faced by Tyne and Wear – he claims the local fire service is spending money where it is not. This is typical of a Government and Ministers who appear to have absolutely no awareness of the impact of their spending decisions on the North East.’