THE threat of downgrading Ammanford fire station may be receding after members of Mid and West Wales Fire Authority voted against fire station closures as part of their series of draft budget meetings.
Monday's meeting voted to avoid station closures and to discuss crewing changes in depth in a further special meeting next Monday (December 16) after Cllr Calum Higgins recommended that the fire authority make less of a cut to the budget than was originally proposed.
The original cut proposed by senior officers in the Fire Service amounted to nearly a four per cent cut to the budget of Mid and West Wales Fire Authority.
However, Cllr Higgins proposed that the Authority look at a lesser cut of 1.56 per cent, meaning that there would be enough in the budget to avoid downgrades to stations such as Ammanford.
"I will put a motion to the next meeting that the Authority should not change crewing or downgrade Ammanford Fire Station or any station in the proposed list of cuts," he pledged.
Giving his reaction, RFU National Officer for Wales and Mid and West Wales Secretary Adrian Hughes said:
"This is fantastic news and a great result – I would like to pay tribute to the elected members on the Fire Authority for their knowledge of the On-Call Duty System and their understanding of the important contribution On-Call Firefighters make to so many communities in Mid and West Wales."
Firefighters plan strike – P10
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here