Public consultation on the Fire and Rescue service should encourage County Council to stop control room closure - Farron

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has welcomed the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England consultation which was launched on the 13 December 2011 and will close on the 19 March 2012.

Tim sees this national consultation as the perfect opportunity for the County Council to back away from their unpopular plan to move Cumbria's fire control room to Cheshire this summer.

As listed in the consultation documents, the priorities of the Framework are for fire and rescue authorities to:

• Identify and assess the full range of fire and rescue related risks their areas face, make provision for prevention and protection activities and respond to incidents appropriately.

• Work in partnership with their communities and a wide range of partners locally and nationally to deliver their service; and

• Be accountable to communities for the service they provide.

Commenting, Tim said: "This is a great step towards encouraging localism. But it highlights how Cumbria County Council has failed to do any of the above when it comes to listening to our community over their plans for our fire control centre. This is the perfect time for the County to reconsider. The national consultation highlights that the community should be at the heart of both active and preventative measures which the fire and rescue services undertake.

"This is a much welcomed public consultation, and Cumbria County Council must not ignore it."