Budget cuts of up to £4 million have led Cambridgeshire and Suffolk fire services to consider a merger in order to reduce costs.
A reduction in government funding of 25% coupled with inflation has meant that both services have had to find 12% in cuts to their spending.
In October last year the services integrated their control centres, saving each of them an estimated £400,000 a year. Cambridgeshire estimate that they must save a total of £4m over four years, with almost £2.5m of those savings having to come between 2013-15.
A number of proposals are being considered to achieve these budget cuts, including reductions in staffing levels at fire stations across the two counties.
A situation where the fire services are able to share more resources is being considered alongside the more extreme scenario of a full merger.
The merger is referred to as ‘voluntary combination’ by the authorities, but there would inevitably be redundancies.
In a feasibility study, Cambridgeshire Fire Service says ‘The majority of our budget is spent on staffing costs, so unfortunately, due to the cuts being imposed on us by the Government, this [redundancy] is likely.’
Mark Hardingham deputy chief fire officer for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said, "This piece of work is all about protecting front-line services, so when you put in a 999 call the firefighters that respond will be your local firefighters."
"At this stage it’s about doing the detailed work to see what that might look and feel like across those two options.
"If there is a recommendation about voluntary combination, then nothing would take place without very detailed public consultation."
Suffolk County Council will meet to discuss the issue next week, while Cambridgeshire Fire Authority will have their next meeting on May 24th.
