Windsor's Fire Station Put Up for Sale

Windsor's proper St Mark's Road firestation has been put up for sale and redevelopment as the council begins building it's £600,000 modular fire depot at Tinker's Lane.

Despite the fact that residents of the Royal Borough contribute 20% of the Fire Brigade's council tax and only have 13% of its resources allocated to them, Council Tax Payers in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead are having to pay twice for Windsor's new fire station, so that the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service can sell our proper fire station to pay for its new headquarters in Reading.

Meanwhile the cost of the Conservatives' modular fire depot has risen from an initial estimate of £400,000 to £600,000 in under two years.

Windsor's new modular fire station will lack most of the facilities required for it to operate as a proper fire station, with the result that its fire engine will actually have to be based in Slough, visiting the Windsor Fire Station from there during its operational shifts. Additionally the number of Fire Fighters has been cut dramatically and the Fire Engine will have a crew of just 4 instead of a full crew of 6.

Whilst Conservatives claim to have saved 24 hour fire cover, they have actually negotiated the disbandment of Windsor's dedicated fire crews and the closure of Windsor's properly equipped St Mark's Road Fire Station. Now Windsor's fire engine will be provided from Slough, which was exactly what Windsor residents have been fighting for the last 8-9 years.

Local Liberal Democrats await the response to an FOI request asking to know exactly what guarantees the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead have secured from the Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service to ensure a fire engine is actually deployed to the modualar mini fire depot.

Sources:

1. Royal Borough Observer
2. 1. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0015, 4th February 2013
   2. Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Freedom of Information Act Request 64799, 22nd March 2013
   3. Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead - Freedom of Information Act request ER64879, 25th April 2013
   4. Royal Berkshire Fire Authority - FIVE YEAR INTEGRATED RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2010/11 - 2015/16 Acttiion Pllan 2013//14 p17
   5. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Freedom of Information Act Request 2013-0063, 6th March 2013
   6. Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Freedom of Information Act Request 65329, 16th August 2013