PAINSWICK Fire Station has been thrown one last lifeline after the Labour Group on the county council officially challenged the decision to close its doors for ever.

Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet followed a recommendation and voted to officially close the station on Wednesday February 4.

The closure would mean that in the future Painswick will see emergency response come from Stroud instead, and is part of a plan to save £2m from the fire service’s budget over the next three years.

The move looked to be the final chapter in a five month saga, which saw a campaign by the residents and firefighters to keep the station open.

But now the Labour group at Shire Hall have used a technical move called a ‘call-in’ to further examine the cabinet’s decision-making process, prompting a heated response from the Conservative Group.

The surprise challenge suspends the decision until it can be discussed by the Scrutiny Management Committee in the next few weeks.

Labour are questioning the legitimacy and scope of the three month public consultation that was carried out to garner the opinion of Painswick residents.

The consultation found that 67 per cent of 254 respondents either strongly agreed or agreed with the closure and 15.5 per cent strongly disagreed or disagreed.

But a petition signed by more than 1,300 people speaking out against the closure was handed into the county council.

Barry Kirby, the shadow Labour spokesperson for fire planning and infrastructure in Gloucestershire, said the consultation did not come anywhere near asking enough people.

“The consultation the council carried out was pitiful; they spoke to around two hundred people across the county to decide whether Painswick should close,” he said.

“The fact that thousands have signed petitions and approached the council to not carry out this move demonstrates that the fire station should not be shut.

“Critically though, the consultation that was carried out was misleading and confusing.

“The council have a duty to carry out surveys properly, and make appropriate decisions.”

Lesley Williams, leader of the Labour Group said that: “I have always held concerns about the validity of consultations, especially when the recorded response rates are so low.

“Now at least we will be able to scrutinise this decision more fully and allow the voices of Painswick to be heard properly.”

Stroud News and Journal:

But the Labour councillors’ challenge was condemned as ‘naked political opportunism’ by the Conservatives Group.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne (Conservative), leader of Gloucestershire County Council, accused the group of putting party politics before the best interests of Gloucestershire people.

“If these are legitimate concerns, why did Labour not raise them before the decision was taken?” he asked.

“They could have questioned them at the Cabinet meeting – when I specifically made more time available so they could ask any questions they had.

“Labour are playing party politics with the jobs of Gloucestershire firefighters. This is nothing to do with what’s best to keep Gloucestershire safe.”

Conservative councillor Will Windsor-Clive, cabinet member for Fire, added: “If these concerns are anything other than party political games, why didn’t Labour councillors raise them before the decision was made?”

The Scrutiny Management Committee will hold a special session in the next few weeks to determine the future of Painswick fire station.

The station currently costs £52,282 a year to run, with future replacement costs for a fully equipped fire engine and protective clothing in excess of £242,844.

Painswick had been identified as a ‘low activity, low risk area’ with ever decreasing demand in terms of emergency response, and follows a six per cent reduction in incidents over the last five years.

Cabinet also voted to downgrade Cirencester's fire station so that it would be operated by on-call firefighters rather than full-time ones.