Walsall councillors oppose ‘ludicrous’ fire station proposals

Councillors in Walsall have called on fire bosses to scrap ‘ludicrous’ plans to close Bloxwich and Willenhall Fire Stations overnight.

In new proposals by the West Midlands Fire Authority, the two stations could see night-time cover removed.

At a meeting on November 2, the Conservatives together with Reform presented a Notice of Motion calling for councillors to oppose any reduction to services and for the proposals to be scrapped.

Reform leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Elaine Williams, said: “I find it astonishing that after a summer which saw catastrophic wild fires and major incidents across the West Midlands the response from the fire authority is not to strengthen front line emergency cover but to consider reducing it.

“Fires do not only occur during the day, serious road traffic collisions do not stop at night.

“At the same time our borough is growing. We’re expecting to see thousands of new homes across Walsall. Many more homes bring more residents, more infrastructure and create more demand on emergency services.

“Common sense tells us that when risks are increased, resources should be maintained or strengthened, not reduced.”

An amendment was put forward by Walsall People’s Alliance – a group made up of four ex-Reform members.

In addition to the original motion, it also called on councillors to acknowledge that West Midlands Fire Service has received no capital funding since 2015 and receives the lowest council tax precept of any fire service across the country.

It also called for the Reform leadership to use their position to advocate for the continuation of 24-hour operations at all stations across Walsall.

Reform opposed the amendment, causing it to fail.

Leader of Walsall People’s Alliance, Councillor Daniel Rollinson, asked which parts of the amendment Reform opposed. Councillor Williams did not respond.

Members then voted on the original motion, which was approved unanimously.

Leader of the Conservative group, Councillor Adrian Andrew, said: “We’ve come together to show our collective message to West Midland Fire Authority that Walsall Council will not accept any of these cuts.

By Rachel Alexander | Local Democracy Reporting Service