THE FIRE BRIGADES UNION SOUTH WEST

South West FBU attacks Government moves to make local fire services pay after bungled IT project

The South West Fire Brigades Union have condemned the Government attempts to offload an unused regional fire control building onto Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. The fire service said talks with central Government broke down over the price being demanded for the building, which has never been operational.

The South West regional control building is part of the former Government’s £1.4 billion regional fire control project which was abandoned before Xmas. But taxpayers are still footing rental and other costs for the building which only last year were estimated to be £150,000 a month.

The empty building cost taxpayers over £6 million until July 2010 when it was meant to become operational. Rent payments started on 15 February 2008, over 3 years ago. Tam McFarlane FBU south west EC member said: “The regional FireControl Project was bungled by central Government and wasted hundreds of millions of pounds. All we have in the south west is a very large regional fire control building filled with broken promises and technology which does not work.

“Fire services are already facing major cuts in central Government funding and now the Government is trying to offload the building to a fire service it is cutting funding to. This project was bungled in Whitehall which should pick up the bill, not local council tax payers.”

Media contact Tam MacFarlane 07813170279