Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is inviting residents of Wargrave and neighbouring areas to come and hear more about an ongoing public consultation, in which RBFRS is asking local people to have their say on proposed changes to the way in which its service is delivered.
The event will be held in Wargrave, on Thursday, 26 January at Wargrave Fire Station on Victoria Road, between 1.30pm and 5.30pm. A further engagement event will be held in February.
The event will provide an opportunity to find out more about the consultation, the options identified and what they could mean for the local community.
Budget cuts from central government mean as an organisation, RBFRS has to make savings of £2.4 million by April 2020. The Response proposals contain a set of options, each of which would create required savings in the region of £1.4 million, as outlined in this consultation document.
RBFRS’s three key objectives are to balance the Fire Authority’s budget, maximise its contribution to enabling people across Royal Berkshire to lead safe and fulfilling lives and do all it can to align any changes made to meet the aspirations of staff.
Among the response proposals is the potential closure of the retained fire station in Wargrave.
A technical report has been produced which analysed each scenario in terms of the level of risk they would pose to the communities of Royal Berkshire; including the impact they would have on our ability to meet our response standard. Our current response standard states that we will attend all emergency incidents within 10 minutes on 75% of occasions. To understand how we model risk, you can view this report here.
The consultation is running for a period of 13 weeks, from 12 December – 13 March 2017. During this period, RBFRS wants to hear the views of staff and the people who live; work and travel in Royal Berkshire, so is organising events like this one to ensure the best possible choices are made to equip the service for the future, in an environment of shrinking financial resources.
To take part, we encourage you to firstly read this document before providing your feedback in one of the following ways:
- Through our website: www.rbfrs.co.uk/consultation.
- Write to us with your comments, ideas or views at: Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, IRMP Consultation, Newsham Court, Pincents Kiln, Calcot, Reading, Berkshire, RG31 7SD.
- Email us at irmp@rbfrs.co.uk
- Telephone 0118 938 4331 and leave us a message.
If you would like a hard copy of the consultation document, or require assistance with accessing the information in an alternative format or language, please contact us using any of the methods above.
Group Manager Jim Powell, who manages RBFRS’s consultation process, said: “The purpose of this consultation is to engage communities and ensure they are kept informed. These events have been organised to provide local people with the opportunity to find out exactly what is being proposed and encourage them to have their say on the best way forward.”
Councillor Emma Webster, Integrated Risk Management Plan Lead Member, said: “As this is a consultation it’s important to stress that no decisions have yet been taken. There’s no doubt that this consultation involves tough choices but the options identified have each been carefully considered in a way to minimise the risk posed to our communities from any service changes.”
After the consultation closes the Fire Authority will carefully consider all feedback received, before making any decisions on changes to the service. Final decisions will be published in a report available on the RBFRS website in May 2017.