Kidlington councillors call for rethink on fire service changes and longer consultation

All three Green councillors for Kidlington have asked Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to rethink proposed changes to the county’s fire and rescue service and to extend the consultation period, saying many residents are not yet aware of the plans.

In a letter to the council’s cabinet member for Community Wellbeing & Safety, Cllrs Fiona Mawson, Linda Ward and Ian Middleton argue that proposals to close Kidlington Fire Station and Oxford’s Rewley Road station and amalgamate them into a single site in North Oxford should be reconsidered. They say claimed response-time improvements are based on computer modelling for a location that has not been confirmed.

The councillors say they spent two and a half hours at Kidlington Fire Station before Christmas, speaking to crews and reviewing the specialist rescue tender based there, which responds to incidents ranging from major traffic collisions to large-animal rescues. They also point to a repairs workshop and R&D team on the site.

Cllr Fiona Mawson said:

“I was impressed by the professionalism and dedication of our fire crews… The rescue tender is a huge and valuable asset. Under these proposals it would be broken up and the equipment and expertise, that has taken 30 years to amass, would be spread across the service, meaning it would be pot-luck if the correct kit and trained experts were available.”

Cllr Ian Middleton said: “These proposals seem wrong-headed and have been poorly handled… Many of the public don’t seem to be aware, and crews are annoyed they’ve not been directly consulted. Dedicated firefighters in Kidlington could lose both jobs and homes under these plans.”

The councillors also cite population growth planned for Kidlington and surrounding areas, and say removing a local station could negatively affect response times. They warn that the potential North Oxford site, for example near Pear Tree, could face traffic congestion if large developments go ahead, including a proposed data centre at Frieze Farm, a football stadium, and the Oxford North project.

District council motion

The Green Group on Cherwell District Council says it supported a recent Labour motion opposing the changes and calling for better engagement with crews. An amendment tabled by the Liberal Democrat group which the Greens describe as “watering down” opposition was not approved, following what they termed a “long and tense” debate in December.

Consultation and next steps

The councillors are asking OCC to extend the current consultation “to ensure the public and crews can fully engage”. Residents will be able to respond via OCC’s consultation pages; details are on the county council website. The fire and rescue proposals are part of a wider service reorganisation being considered by the council.

Oxfordshire County Council has been approached for comment.

At a glance: What Kidlington councillors say would change

• Station closures: Kidlington and Oxford Rewley Road would be closed and amalgamated into one North Oxford station (location not yet confirmed).
• Specialist rescue tender: Asset based at Kidlington could be broken up, with kit and expertise dispersed.
• On-call crews: Concerns over impact on on-call firefighters living in tied housing, and loss of posts and homes.
• Support functions: Site hosts repairs workshop and R&D supporting the wider service.
• Population growth: Councillors say closures would be at odds with planned local growth.

How to have your say

• Visit Oxfordshire County Council’s consultation webpages and search for Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service proposals.
• Residents can also contact their local councillors; Cllr Middleton can be reached at i.middleton@northandwestoxon-greens.uk.

If you are affected by the proposals and would like to share your views, contact the Oxfordshire Guardian newsdesk.

Quotes in full:

Cllr Fiona Mawson said:

“I was impressed during my visit by both the professionalism and the dedication of our fire crews. During the two and a half hours we were there talking to them, we saw them coming back from one call out and going out to two more. Two of those involved the highly specialised rescue tender which I think is a huge and valuable asset to the county that we should all feel incredibly proud and lucky to have. Yet under these proposals it would be broken up and the equipment and expertise, that has taken 30 years to amass, would be spread across the service meaning it would be pot-luck if the correct bit of kit was available along with the trained experts to operate it.

“It was clear from the conversations that we had with the various members of the crew that they were very concerned both about their jobs and living arrangements but also about the impacts these changes will have on the community they protect and are an important part of.

“If the problems are on-call staff why do the new proposals seem to add additional burdens on that cohort, whilst removing the ability of wholetime staff to cover evening shifts. How can removing specialised tenders and reducing the numbers of fire engines, firefighters and fire stations possibly improve safety in what are rapidly growing populations in Kidlington and the surrounding area?

“I’d suggest that Cllr Hannaby visits Kidlington herself at the earliest opportunity to speak directly to the watch crews whose lives these proposals will impact as well as to local councillors who can give her greater insight into how these changes are likely to be received by local residents.”

Cllr Ian Middleton said:

“These proposals seem very wrong-headed and have been poorly handled. Not only do many of the public who will be affected by them not seem to be aware, the fire crews themselves are clearly annoyed that they have not been directly consulted about them.

“Many of our dedicated firefighters in Kidlington stand to lose both their jobs and their homes under these proposals. These are people who we were recently praising for their commitment and bravery to the community. In the next breath the OCC administration seems intent on simply casting them aside to fulfil some sort of theoretical enhancements to response times which seem wholly counter-intuitive.

“I understand that one of the sites being considered for a new station would be near Pear Tree. This seems to ignore the potential for traffic congestion in the area should developments such as the new data centre at Frieze Farm and a huge football stadium go ahead on top of the Oxford North development in the same area. This would surely have a negative impact on response times to both the city and the Kidlington area.”