No Fire Station Closures - Lib Dems state their position ahead of Council debate
July 19, 2010 2:06 PM
"The Lib Dems are not going to support any version of the current plan to close Fire Stations in Warwickshire", said Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Jerry Roodhouse ahead of Tuesday's crucial vote at the County Council on the Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service.
He continued: "We may be in coalition with the Conservatives in Westminster, but there's no such progressive alliance here in Warwickshire. We believe that the consultation on the future of the Fire Service carried out by the Conservative Cabinet last year was fundamentally flawed, so we will not back a plan based on its results."
The Liberal Democrats have attacked the Conservatives' unwillingness to disclose their chosen plan in advance, with the Cabinet meeting to agree the recommendation to Council only taking place one hour before the Full Council meeting.
Jerry Roodhouse said: "We don't know whether they are going to back Option A, B or C of the plan, or whether they will come up with a new Option D variant of the plan, or throw it out altogether. At the end of the day the Conservatives have the votes in the Council meeting to push through any plan they wish."
The Liberal Democrats are likely to table an amendment to the Conservative resolution for Tuesday's council debate, rejecting the current plan in its entirety. If this amendment fails, individual Lib Dem councillors will then have a free vote on the Conservative's plan, enabling them to represent the best interests of the residents in the areas that they represent.
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