Monday
31 March
08.00hrs
Avon Fire
Authority (AFA) has today appointed a Director to the Local
Authority Combined Company (LACC), which will run the South West
Regional Control Centre (RCC) in Taunton.
At a meeting on
Friday 28 March AFA Members agreed that as the project to merge all
fire control rooms in the South West moves into a critical phase,
it is time to appoint a Director to represent the interests of its
staff.
Chair of Avon
Fire Authority, Councillor Terry Walker, said: “Today’s decision
has been made purely to ensure Avon Fire Authority has a say in any
key decisions being made by the LACC. It does not mean Avon is
signing up to the RCC and no decision on this will be made until
the full business case becomes available in the summer.
“Currently, no
Fire Authority in the region has agreed to sign up to the RCC
project, but so far Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon and Somerset,
Dorset and Cornwall have all appointed directors to the LACC.
Avon Fire Authority believes that it must now become involved to
ensure that it can have some influence over the long term future of
the existing control staff."
Avon Fire
Authority has always been against the idea of a new control centre
for the South West and originally cited its Lansdown facilities,
near Bath, as a suitable option.
Avon Fire &
Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive, Kevin Pearson,
said: “Whilst there are still concerns about the RCC project, and
in particular about projected costs and savings, we feel it is
important for Avon’s needs and views to be represented when key
decisions about the staff are being made.
“We want to be able to protect the interests of our staff when
decisions on working hours, pensions and terms and conditions of
employment are being made. This decision does not mean Avon Fire
Authority has committed to this project.”