Cash strapped Tyne and Wear Fire Service ordered to pay back £10 million

Nick Forbes, vice chair of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is warning of 'dangerous consequences' after the service was ordered to pay back £10 million it mistakenly claimed to pay their workers pensions.

The fire and rescue service, which has made savings of more than £22 million since 2010 and lost more than three hundred members of staff, over claimed the Pensions Top Up Grant.

Forbes, who is also the leader of Newcastle City Council, said the move could see "fewer fire safety checks carried out":

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service are currently carrying out safety checks on all properties in the area above six storeys high, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Meanwhile, bosses are awaiting a meeting with Home Office Ministers to discuss the recent request to repay the overpayment Pensions Top Up Grant.

A TWFRS spokesperson has described the situation as a "significant issue":

The £10 million, which is said to have been "claimed in error", dates back to the period 2006/07 to 2011/12.

The Home Office insists that it has issued clear guidance that sets out what is, and what is not, eligible firefighters' pension fund expenditure and that it will consider a 'staged repayment'.

A Home Office spokesperson said: