Plans unveiled for police and fire service to share station in St Neots

Plans have been drawn up for the police and fire services to share the current fire station in St Neots.

A senior official in the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the move would allow the police to sell the current police station, but the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said the future of the St Neots police station building is yet to be determined.

A meeting of the fire service's governing body, the Fire Authority, heard that the police will seek planning permission for an extension to the current fire station in Huntingdon Road.

The deputy chief executive for the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, Matthew Warren, told the meeting the move "will allow the police to sell their current site which they effectively don't use any more".

He said the plan had been "a long time on the agenda," with discussions going back four or five years.

In a statement, the acting police and crime commissioner, Ray Bisby, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to clarify that the police station in St Neots is not closing but instead moving into a more accessible building 0.2 miles down the road.

"Collaboration between police and fire is something I continue to support. Locating services in a single building is a good example of where we can save money whilst still providing effective services to the local community.

"My priority is to make sure the chief constable has the resources he needs to be able to effectively police local neighbourhoods.

"By sharing buildings, we can make sure officer numbers are further protected and communities receive the service they expect." The news comes as The Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire announced job cuts and a series of closures today as part of a restructuring aimed at making sure budget gaps can be met next year and beyond.

Nick Dean says the force needs to make considerable cost savings to avoid using financial reserves. The move comes even though the force will be getting cash from the government as part of the plan to have an extra 20,000 officers across the country.

The force has also submitted plans to build a new police hub on the outskirts of Milton.

The current Parkside Police station in Cambridge was deemed to be outdated. The building, estimated to be worth more than £30m, costs £4m a year to run.