1. Calendar
  2. 4 updates

Campaigners march against proposed fire service cuts

Campaigners in Lincoln are to march this weekend in protest to cuts which could be made to fire services in the county.

Live updates

Protestors take to Lincoln streets to fight fire service cuts

Protestors fighting proposed cuts to Lincolnshire's fire service have marched through Lincoln city centre.

They are hoping to get 3000 signatures on a petition to allow them to speak at a council meeting to oppose the changes. James Webster reports.

Advertisement

Campaigners gather in Lincoln to protest over proposed fire service cuts

Protestors have been gathering in Lincoln to show their opposition to proposed cuts to the fire service.

Show of strength in Lincolnshire over proposed cuts to the fire service Credit: ITV Yorkshire

The Defend Our Fire Services march started at St Martin's Square at the top of the High Street and was aimed at increasing public awareness to the effect cuts would have to response time and coverage by the service.

Campaigners march against proposed fire service cuts

Campaigners in Lincoln are to march this weekend in protest to cuts which could be made to fire services in the county.

Campaigners in Lincoln are to march this weekend in protest to cuts which could be made to fire services in the county. Credit: Defend Our Fire Services

The Defend Our Fire Services march will start at St Martin's Square at the top of the High Street on Saturday 31 January from 11.30am.

Our campaign seeks to increase public awareness of how the proposed cuts to our Fire and Rescue services will impact on response times and coverage. The service has already experienced a significant reduction to its funding and consequently a further £1.23 million of cuts will have devastating affects for both fire fighters and the public. The campaign has developed real momentum so far and over 1000 people have already signed our petition. However, we still need many more signatures and we're calling on everyone who values their local fire services to march with us on Saturday.

– Elaine Smith, Defend Our Fire Services spokesperson

The Fire Brigade Union in Lincolnshire have praised the campaign saying it shows the strength of community support for the fire service:

We thank all members of the public who have thrown themselves into this campaign. It shows how strongly the local community feels about cuts to their fire service.

– Dan Taylor

The chief fire officer for Lincolnshire has argued that the proposals will enable the service to save money without reducing the service:

Obviously any reduction to the fire service is regrettable; however, we are confident that the proposals being consulted on allow us to achieve the required savings while having the least impact on the overall level of service provided. Since 2010, we have increased the number of fire engines crewed by whole-time firefighters on a 24 hour basis from two to nine, and on average our on-call firefighters across the county train for an extra hour each week. During this time there has been no reduction in the number of fire engines or fire stations and we have been able to make significant investments in new appliances and equipment, to allow our firefighters to continue to deliver a first class fire and rescue service for Lincolnshire.

– Dave Ramscar, chief fire officer for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue
Back to top