Westminster Diary Diary - KENILWORTH - 23rd November 2009

Monday, 23rd November 2009

The closing date for people to respond to the consultation on the future of Kenilworth Fire Station is fast approaching, which is why now would be an appropriate time to remind ourselves why the proposals are flawed and should be rejected.

First, under the Chief Fire Officer's plans, Warwick Fire Station would close, too, which would mean Leamington Fire Station covering fires in Leamington, Kenilworth and Warwick, with only three more firefighters than there are there now. At the moment, Leamington does not cover even all the fires in Leamington without help from Kenilworth and Warwick.

Second, even if resources are available, how quickly will fire engines from Leamington reach Kenilworth? The Fire and Rescue Service says that fire appliances should reach incidents in urban areas within ten minutes. They also tell us that it takes nine minutes for Leamington fire appliances to reach the clock tower in Kenilworth, so calls from the further reaches of the town are bound to breach the ten-minute target time. Worse still, I do not think their journey time estimates are correct. Records I have asked for recently from Kenilworth Fire Station show that, in the last four months, the response time from Leamington Fire Station to Kenilworth was an average of thirteen minutes.

In short, the Chief Fire Officer’s plans will make the people of Kenilworth less safe. Not only will lives be less well protected, but English Heritage have approached me and pointed out that Kenilworth Castle, the jewel in the town’s crown, could also be put at risk. The Castle is a site of historical significance and its Gatehouse regularly plays host to loan objects of national importance. The building contains a great deal of wood and attendance time would be crucial in the event of a fire. It should be a cause of great concern to all those who value our civic heritage that having fire services come out of Leamington instead of Kenilworth will put our Castle and its treasures at risk.

Time is running out for the public to have their say on the future of Kenilworth Fire Station. If you share my concerns, please say so in response to the consultation by writing to the following address no later than 8 December:

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service
Improvement Plan Consultation
Service Headquarters
Warwick Street
Royal Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV32 5LH

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Updated on Monday, 23rd November 2009