Fire service 999 call centre will remain in Cornwall

Cornwall's fire and rescue service critical control centre will remain in the Duchy after councillors agreed to retain the current 24-hour provision. A review had been commissioned by Cornwall Council to consider the service after it was found to be consistently running over budget.

There had been a suggestion that the entire control centre service should be outsourced to another fire service elsewhere in the country but this resulted in concerns from firefighters and councillors that it could impact public safety. Today Cornwall Council's Cabinet confirmed that the control centre will continue to operate as it does now.

Several options had been put before councillors, including outsourcing the service or keeping daytime operations in Cornwall and asking another service to answer calls overnight. However, following an extensive review by the council's neighbourhoods overview and scrutiny committee, the Cabinet agreed that the best option was to retain the status quo.

The Cabinet praised the efforts of the scrutiny committee in carrying out the review which involved the fire service, stakeholders and the Fire Brigades' Union to find the best option for the service. Several councillors said it was one of the best pieces of scrutiny work they had seen.

Choosing to retain the current service does come at a cost and it was explained that the additional £625,000 needed would have to be paid for out of council reserves for the coming year and then be incorporated into the Fire and Rescue Service budget in future years.

Martyn Alvey, Cabinet member responsible for the service, said: "The comment has been made by our democratic service that it is one of the best bits of scrutiny work which has been done, it is a proper collaborative deep dive."

Cllr Alvey added: "The fact that we have, unanimously, as a Cabinet agreed the most expensive decision shows that we make decisions which we believe are the best for Cornwall. We have a responsibility to spend our money wisely and so we have to be confident that this is the best thing operationally for Cornwall but also that we don't spend money that isn't necessary.

"The case has been made and the service should remain as is – there will have to be some changes in working practices, particularly in relation to the night shifts, and that is included in the reports. But ultimately it will remain in Cornwall 24 hours a day with the back up in North Yorkshire that we currently have and was essential back in the summer when we had a number of wildfires and when we had the flooding in Coverack."

Cllr Alvey said that there would have to be changes to the services provided by the critical control centre including those which are paid for by outside organisations, including CCTV monitoring for several town councils in Cornwall.

However, he stressed that no decision had yet been made about the future provision of this service and said that CCTV services affected would continue until at least April 2024. He said that there would be extensive consultation before any decision is made.

The Fire Brigades' Union (FBU) has welcomed Cornwall Council's decision to retain the control centre in Cornwall. Gary Cotton, FBU secretary for Cornwall, said: "Fire and rescue control staff are vital to our service. They are the ones picking up fire calls from the public, identifying locations, and mobilising resources. Firefighters across Cornwall will be relieved that the Council has finally recognised the value of the highly specialised skills and knowledge required, and the essential role that fire control plays in keeping the public safe.

"This U-turn represents a victory for our members, and for the safety of the people of Cornwall. We should never have had to fight against these absurd plans, but we have shown that we can and must push back against dangerous decisions made in the name of cost-cutting."