Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) is consulting on a set of proposals called Programme for Change. These proposals are in response to ten years of Lib Dem-Tory austerity since 2010.

This decade of austerity has reduced GMFRS’ net budget requirement from £115.4 million in 2009/10 to £96.9 million in 2018/19. This reduction has been worth nearly £2 million per annum and by 2022 GMFRS need to cut £12.8 million. So, GMFRS are consulting on wide ranging proposals to change GMFRS and reduce its budget.

These discussions include proposals to close Central Fire Station and Phillips Park Fire Station that serve Manchester City Centre, and merge them into one brand new fire station — which will have one less fire engine and less crew. In total, 194 fewer firefighters and 9 fewer fire engines across Greater Manchester are proposed compared to now.

Using our experience as your local Councillors and consulting with the Fire Brigades Union and UNISON, who represent firefighters and other staff in GMFRS, we have written the comprehensive response below, outlining our concerns and detailing our asks of GMFRS.

In terms of specific issues, our response has focused on:

• Fewer firefighters and fire engines servicing the city centre
• Slower response times in life-threatening situations
• Less prevention and education activity
• Lack of consideration of population growth in the city centre
• Lack of consideration of fire safety issues in apartment blocks subsequently of the Grenfell Fire and the revelation of serious defects in building regulations

Read our full response by clicking the link below: