Firefighters demand Cumbria police commissioner drops fire takeover plan

The letter asks: “As the voice of the public and the staff have responded, the FBU ask are you now willing to withdraw your proposal and accept a democratically reached decision?”.

Ed Burrows, Fire Brigades Union north west regional secretary, said: “The consultation response was clear: Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service should not be run by a PFCC.

"We fully expect McCall will follow through on this consultation by taking the next step and withdrawing the plan. Bundling fire in with the police helps no one. It could lead to cuts that affect the fire and rescue service disproportionality, and lead to three fire station closures.”

Out of the 363 public and stakeholder responses to the consultation only 46 per cent of respondents wanted to see a PFCC in Cumbria, whereas 54 per cent preferred the option of a Combined Fire and Rescue Authority.

The Fire Brigades Union has criticised McCall’s plan to become PFCC on various grounds, including the fact it may lead to three fire station closures, including Arnside, putting 18 jobs at risk - three of them at Arnside.

The union also has concerns about accountability, with a PFCC to be subject only to a weak scrutiny panel and fire to only be a part of this assessment as opposed to having its own accountability structures, and maintaining the separation between police and fire that the differing natures of the services demands.

The station closures are thought to be a possibility for a variety of reasons.

The stations – Frizington, Arnside and Stavely - have previously been threatened with closure, and there are financial concerns over a future PFCC having the latitude to implement cuts that impact fire disproportionately relative to the police, and requiring funds to bulk up his office to administer the fire and rescue service, which could come out of the fire and rescue budget.

The letter also said: “We also note that the financial issues surrounding any takeover of governance have still not been provided, we request that this information is shared with us when produced.”