Clwyd West MS and Shadow Minister for North Wales, Darren Millar, has hit out at the Labour Welsh Government for refusing to intervene to help protect fire services in Rhyl, and other parts of North Wales.
In the Senedd chamber today, Darren spoke of his concerns that each of the three options proposed by North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority in their review of emergency cover across North Wales will see cuts and reductions in emergency cover at key locations across the region, including the downgrading of fire stations in Rhyl and Deeside and that two of the options propose the withdrawal of a crewed fire engine in Wrexham.
He said the Fire Brigades Union have described the proposals as “three different ways to put the public at risk” and asked the Minister for North Wales and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffith MS, whether she would join him in urging the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority to consider seriously the Fire Brigades Union's reasonable alternative proposals.
However, the Minister said the “Welsh Government has no cause to intervene” and that “this is a local and operational matter for North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.”
Speaking in the Chamber, Darren said:
“It's the Welsh Government that's ultimately responsible for the fire service in North Wales, and we know, Minister, that the fire stations in Rhyl and Deeside are currently staffed around the clock for a reason.
"The station in Rhyl serves a very large population centre, much of which is deprived, and it's situated on part of the North Wales coast which has the largest number of properties at risk of flooding.
“We know that Deeside serves a very large population in an area incorporating a large industrial belt, where emergencies can be catastrophic for those working and living nearby. And in Wrexham, those three fire engines and crews are essential to the safety of the city, the largest population centre in North Wales.
“Last year, under the current emergency cover arrangements, the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service achieved an extraordinary milestone: it was the first year in which there were zero fire-related deaths. Now that to me suggests that the current model is working very well.
“I accept that operational responsibility lies with the North Wales Fire Authority, but you are the Welsh Government. You set the guidance. You set the guidelines for this organisation to function. You also are responsible for making sure that stakeholders like unions are listened to across the public sector. So, I find it frankly astonishing that there doesn't seem to be more effort being made by the Welsh Government to make sure that the Fire Brigades Union, in particular, has been listened to.”
Watch Darren’s contribution in the Welsh Parliament below:
