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Cuts Kill: Stop the cuts to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

I am writing to express my deep concern about the plans to close three fire stations, remove five fire engines, and cut a minimum of 42 firefighter posts in Oxfordshire. These cuts pose an unacceptable risk to both public and firefighter safety and must be urgently reconsidered.

The service is already under immense pressure. Oxfordshire has lost 10% of its frontline firefighters since 2010. Response times across the county are already nearly 2 minutes slower than the national average. Further cuts to the service will only make it harder for the service to respond effectively and save lives.

The recent HMICFRS report has underlined the seriousness of this situation. It found that the service is only “Adequate” in responding to fire and emergencies, while it “Requires Improvement” in making best use of resources. In 2022/23, response time targets were not met, with arrival within 11 minutes achieved in 72% of life- or property-threatening emergencies and arrival within 14 minutes in 84% of incidents, below the targets of 80% and 90%.

Despite this, the fire service is proposing removing more resources from the frontline. Under the existing proposals, there will only be five fire engines available to cover all of Oxfordshire at night, when people are at their most vulnerable. Closing on-call stations at Eynsham, Henley and Woodstock puts rural communities at greater risk, while merging Rewley Road and Kidlington Fire Stations into a single station north of Oxford will slow response times into Oxford’s increasingly densely populated city centre. These measures will only slow response times further.

Once firefighter posts are lost, they are unlikely to be recovered. The loss of accumulated experience, training, and operational resilience cannot be quickly rebuilt. Further cuts would weaken the service but push it further towards crisis point.

It is deeply concerning that no proposal has been made to seek urgent additional funding from the Fire Minister. The county council can and should defer this decision and make the case for national support rather than pursuing short-term financial savings that will have irreversible consequences.

At the heart of this issue is public safety. Longer response times significantly increase the risk of injury and loss of life. The frontline must not be eroded any further. I urge you to reject these proposals and act to protect both your constituents and the firefighters who serve them.

I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this matter further at your constituency surgery and would be grateful if you could let me know your availability.