Lib Dems to meet Fire Cover Minister
Cornwall’s five Liberal Democrat MPs are to meet the Minister responsible for Fire Cover in Cornwall, with leading County Councillors.
The special meeting follows demands from North Cornwall’s MP, Dan Rogerson, and from Cornwall County Council following the tragic fire at Penhallow Hotel, Newquay, in August this year.
The team of Liberal Democrats say that Ministers in successive Conservative and Labour governments have failed to take account of the special circumstances Cornwall faces in providing fire cover on a peninsula, with no neighbouring counties to the South, North or West.
Commenting, Dan Rogerson said:
“This meeting is vital to drive home the message that Cornwall can be neglected no longer. We have been arguing for fair funding so that the County Council can get the balance of whole-time and retained fire cover right to ensure Cornwall remains a safe place for tourists and residents alike.
“Cornwall’s population grows hugely during the summer months, yet government funding remains at the same level as for the much-smaller permanent population. Every pressure from Government is for further cuts at a time when services are already under threat.”
Falmouth and Camborne MP, Julia Goldsworthy added:
“Having already raised this issue in Parliament, I welcome the opportunity to emphasise the difficulties faced in rural areas to the Minister. Across rural Britain, Councils are having to make unpalatable cuts to frontline services because the government seems incapable of understanding the additional cost of providing services to rural communities.
“As a team of Liberal Democrat MPs and Councillors, we will be pressing Ministers to ensure that Cornwall does not face a further unsustainable funding squeeze.”
Cllr Ken Yeo, Executive Member for Public Protection at Cornwall County Council added:
“We look forward to meeting the Fire Minister and are expecting him to address the issues relating to the fire service in Cornwall. The formula the government uses clearly does not allocate sufficient resource to our part of the country. The Minister must address this deficit as a matter of urgency.”
