Ross resident Neil Fowler spoke to members of Ross Town Council on Monday, November 11th to urge them to participate in the consultation for the new Community Risk Management Plan.

He told them that he is a retained fire fighter in Ross but was speaking to them as a concerned resident. He said:?"I don't want to see the removal of any fire appliances but my big concern is that the removal of the second appliance in Ross will have a greater impact than the closure of Whitchurch fire station.

He told the Councillors that the cuts were not due to any mismanagement but as a result of cuts imposed by government. He added that the average payment by the government to fire services is £20 per head of population per year. In Herefordshire it is nearer £14. He said that the chief fire officer has been meeting with MPs and Ministers to try to negotiate a fairer deal but it is not looking likely to make up the shortfall.

He said that the loss of the second fire appliance in Ross would save £44,000 a year and the closure of Whitchurch fire station would save over £80,00 a year.

He said that the risk of only having one appliance in Ross would be great and their second appliance was available more often than the Whitchurch appliance. He said:?"If Whitchurch is not available and Ross loses one appliance, there will only be one left for the whole area. He added:?"We are asking Ross Town Council to support Ross' second engine. The notice of motion proposed by Cllr Jane Roberts for the Town Council to express its serious concern about the cuts and to take a full part in the consultation programme was passed unanimously. The Policy and Management Committee will prepare a draft response which will be brought back to full council in December for members to discuss. Neil was invited to attend this meeting so that he could have an input.

For more stories in full please see this week's Ross Gazette.