South Yorkshire fire service extends cuts consultation

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue must cut £10m from its yearly budget by 2015

A seventh public meeting has been organised to discuss fire service cuts in South Yorkshire.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service is consulting over plans to save £10m by 2015, which involve shedding 140 jobs and closing several fire stations.

The service has organised a meeting at The Church of Christ in Station Road, Darnall, at 19:00 GMT on 12 January.

Darnall fire station is proposed to merge with Mansfield Road station at a new site on the Sheffield Parkway.

The fire service said the seventh meeting was an extra one scheduled in response to feedback received through the consultation process so far.

Under the proposals, shedding 68 full-time and 32 retained firefighters would make an overall saving of £2.25m a year, with an additional reduction of 40 full-time firefighter posts from internal staffing changes, making an overall saving for the service of £4m a year.

As well as fire stations in Darnall and Mansfield Road, the fire service also plans to close a part-time station at Mosborough, replacing them with two new stations, near the Sheffield Parkway and Birley.

Four public meetings have already taken place. The fifth will be held in Royston on Wednesday evening.

The Fire Brigades' Union has said it is "extremely important that the public have their say".

John Gilliver, from the union, said: "I think it needs to go out loud and clear that these are people's lives that are in danger. Fire does kill and cuts cost lives."

Mark Shaw, from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Senior officers and members of the Fire Authority are keen to listen to local views."