Leader of Wiltshire Conservatives urges Prime Minister to reassess fire service funding
Cllr Richard Clewer has written to Sir Kier Starmer urging him to ensure rural services have what they need
The Leader of the Conservative Group on Wiltshire Council is calling for the Prime Minister to review funding for fire and rescue services as a public consultation takes place on the potential closure of eight fire stations across Dorset and Wiltshire.
Cllr Richard Clewer has penned a letter to Sir Kier Starmer as he feels Government is failing rural locations, insisting that delivering services in rural areas can be tough.
It's a challenge he's well aware of, having been Leader of Wiltshire Council between 2021 and 2025.
He highlighted the impact of the Government's choice to cut the Rural Service Delivery Grant as one of the key drivers behind the Fire and Rescue Service's decision to propose closing four stations in Wiltshire.
A public consultation is ongoing, with stations in Bradford-on-Avon, Mere, Ramsbury and Wilton under threat. We can have our say here.
Concerns Over Rural Service Funding
Cllr Clewer said losing the Rural Service Delivery Gran has had a major impact on local authorities.
Wiltshire Council reportedly lost around £4 million, a loss Cllr Clewer believes they managed, but he notes the fire service faces greater challenges in maintaining operations due to budget constraints.
"They've lost a significant amount of money," he said. "They don't have the ability to increase tax to match it, and they are not large enough to be able to find the economies of scale, to find ways of continuing to provide the frontline services they deliver with that degree of funding cut. So instead, they're having to look at cutting fire stations."
Cllr Clewer insisted that stations were in their locations "for a reason" and they shouldn't be cut "simply because government has decided it doesn't like rural England."
Impact of Potential Closures
The Fire Service says closing stations is not something it want's to do, as it brings increased risk.
Cllr Clewer shares the fire service's sentiment, emphasizing his opposition to closures unless justified by operational needs, and critiques governmental funding cuts targeting rural regions.
"We face enough challenges as it is without government making that worse by reducing the funding we've got to specifically deal with the fact of the complexity of delivering in a rural area," he said.
Clewer has written to the Prime Minister, to share his concerns and call for a proper assessment of funding requirements for rural fire services.
Clewer voices skepticism about government action, telling us that Council discussions to secure extra funding for rural services were sidelined.
Broader Concerns for Rural England
Clewer has a broader concern over rural England's future, suggesting that rural locations are set to struggle in years to come, considering challenges faced by farmers, development pressures, and diminishing funding for local councils.
He accused the Government of attacking rural lifestyles, citing examples such as solar farm encroachment and unsuitable housing developments as threats undermining rural life.
Cllr Clewer said: "They don't understand rural England and deliberately or not, they are really undermining the fabric of a way of life that has existed for centuries."
We've asked the Government for a response.