Anneliese Dodds MP and Oxfordshire Labour councillors have joined forces with the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) to oppose plans to cut fire stations, fire engines, and firefighter posts. Anneliese is urging residents to sign the FBU’s petition in support of Oxfordshire’s firefighters.

Oxfordshire County Council’s proposals include slashing night-time fire cover, closing three local stations, merging two more, removing a specialist rescue vehicle, and forcing firefighters onto longer shifts.

If these plans come into reality, only five fire engines would cover all of Oxfordshire at night, up to 42 firefighters would lose their jobs, and five fire engines would be removed. Fire stations in Eynsham, Woodstock, and Henley would be closed while the Rewley Road and Kidlington Fire Stations would be merged into a new station in North Oxford.

The Labour & Co-op MP for Oxford East, Anneliese Dodds, says: “Firefighters themselves know local risks the best, so their voices have to be included. I also wanted to say a big thank you to the FBU for briefing me on plans for our local fire services recently, and for organising a successful rally outside Oxfordshire’s County Hall yesterday.

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Notes to editors:

• Read more about the FBU’s campaign: www.fbu.org.uk/campaigns/cuts-kill-save-oxfordshire-fire-and-rescue-service
• Sign the FBU’s petition: www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/cuts-kill-save-oxfordshire-fire-and-rescue-service-1
• Public consultation launched by Oxfordshire County Council: https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ofrs-consultation
• Oxfordshire Labour’s statement: www.oxfordlabour.org.uk/oxfordshire-labour-stands-with-firefighters/
• The FBU says: “These are not small savings: they are cuts to life-saving services. It means slower response times, weaker back-up – and more lives, homes and businesses lost. Oxfordshire County Council and the Chief Fire Officer should work with firefighters, their union, and local communities. The cuts hit the people who most need protecting: children, older people, disabled people, low-income families in flats and HMOs, and rural towns and villages already a long way from help.”