Hereford and Worcester building boom: stop the fire cuts!
Pete McNally, Worcester Socialist Party
There is a building boom going on in Herefordshire and Worcestershire. 5,000 more homes are planned in and immediately around Worcester. There is a scramble to fill any possible space with houses or flats.
One planning application was turned down because although there was enough room on the plot for the two planned houses and associated parking spaces, if the cars were parked it would have been impossible to open the car doors to get in or out.
In Hereford, an estate of 1,200 homes is planned, accompanied with, employment opportunities, leisure facilities and so on. You would think the local services would need to expand.
But managers at Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority beg to differ. They seem determined to cut fire and rescue cover at night.
The Fire Brigades Union has opposed these cuts every step of the way. Its campaign is gathering support, with a public meeting planned for Wednesday 21 August in Bewdley where the fire station is threatened with closure.
The Socialist Party supports trade union action to save fire services. Our campaign stall against fire cuts sold 20 copies of the Socialist.