The Regional Fire Control Centre (FiReControl) Project (7 years, £423m, £52m on consultants, 5 years behind schedule) has today been scrapped by the Government.

However, the fight continues to keep the Fire Control Centre on the Isle of Wight and oppose the moves of the Isle of Wight Council to merge it with Surrey FRS (involving a move to Reigate).

Press Association, 20/12/2010:

‘The Government has announced it is scrapping a controversial scheme to replace 46 fire control centres in England with nine new sites, which an MP claimed has “wasted” £1.3 billion.

The surprise move to end the so-called FiReControl project follows a series of delays and increased costs since it was announced by the Labour government several years ago, which pledged that the new system would better protect the public.

Fire Minister Bob Neill said he had reached agreement with the main contractor, Cassidian, to call a halt to the troubled project.

The Fire Brigades Union, which has been campaigning against the project, said the decision was “long overdue”.
General secretary Matt Wrack said: “For seven years the Fire Brigades Union has been sounding the alarm about this project, often as a lone voice, and this decision shows that we were right. While the project was going on, staff in emergency fire control have been treated appallingly, and I hope that, at long last, their security of employment can be confirmed.”

The union said the cost of renting empty buildings for the project was almost £13 million a year.
Labour MP John McDonnell, secretary of the FBU’s parliamentary group, said: “For years we’ve been advising the Government that this project is unworkable and a waste of resources. Our estimate is that up to £1.3 billion has been wasted in aborted cost, and staff morale undermined by years of indecision and incompetence.”

Source: UK Press Assocation: www.google.com" target="_blank" >google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5hL70o6y579DD-9xSjLwKXArJtB0g?docId=N0243111292849258983A" target="_blank">Fire control centre plan scrapped

Scrapped regional fire control centres

• East – Essex, Norfolk, Cambridge and Peterborough, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, and Luton and Suffolk
• East Midlands – Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire
• London – London Fire Brigade
• North East – Durham and Darlington, Tyne and Wear, Cleveland and Northumberland
• North West – Cumbria, Cheshire, Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
• South East – Hampshire, Royal Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Kent, East Sussex, Buckinghamshire, Isle of Wight, Surrey and West Sussex
• South West – Devon and Somerset, Dorset, Avon, Cornwall, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire
• West Midlands – Staffordshire, West Midlands, Shropshire, Hereford and Worcester and Warwickshire
• Yorkshire and Humberside – West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Humberside and North Yorkshire

Related links:

Fire Brigades Union

Fire Won’t Wait – Save the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre

Isle of Wight Council

Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

Region 12 (Southern Region) Fire Brigades Union

Cassidian

EADS

A VOTE of no confidence in the Isle of Wight Council’s chief executive, Steve Beynon, and leader, David Pugh, was passed by Unison members this afternoon (Friday).

In the week 535 job cuts were announced and services such as libraries, swimming pools and tourist information centres could face the axe, around 250 members attended a union meeting at St George’s Park.

Members also agreed to rally outside County Hall before the cabinet meeting on December 7, when the proposed cuts will be discussed.

This is the third time local authority trades unions have passed votes of no confidence against Mr Beynon.

Source: http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/noconfidence-vote-for-council-chief-and-top-councillor-36045.aspx

Along with the other proposed severe cuts to public services by the Conservative led Isle of Wight Council (with 535 job redundancies) the IW Council are currently proposing to merge the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre with the Surrey Fire Control Centre in Reigate. A ‘scoping study’ is currently being undertaken by the Isle of Wight Council prior to the matter being referred to a ‘delegated decision’.

If the delegated decision, to be made by Cllr Barry Abraham, were to agree that the IW Fire Control Centre to be moved, then the public would not be given any further opportunity to scrutinise, debate nor view the proposal in full, as the issue will not return to the Full Council meeting of the Isle of Wight Council.

Related links:

Isle of Wight Council

Cllr David Pugh

UNISON

Isle of Wight County Press

Fire Won’t Wait – Save the Isle of Wight Fire Control Centre

Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service

Region 12 (Southern Region) Fire Brigades Union