Police and fire service to share station in Maltby
POLICE and fire services in a South Yorkshire town will operate jointly under one roof as part of a bid to cut costs.
A joint police and fire station has been approved by Rotherham Council this month and work will start on the new modified police station in Maltby during the New Year.
Maltby fire station is to close and the Byford Road police station modified for fire vehicles and staff under the plans.
The project has received £560,000 of Government Transformation Funding to help save both South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue money, by sharing building running costs and enabling funding to be targeted directly at frontline services.
Neil Bowles, Chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “I can see some benefits of cost sharing of premises. I can see some downside as well about the difference in conditions and services of people sharing the same building.”
Beverley Sandy, of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said: “This move makes perfect sense for us, for the police and for the taxpayer.
“Instead of having two public buildings, and all the running costs associated with them, we will be able to combine our resources into one facility to provide a more efficient frontline service.”
The combined resources would help to provide a more efficient service, she added.
Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, welcomed the move.
The South Yorkshire Fire Authority has said a proposal to merge services with West Yorkshire could be “the best option” to cope with reduced budgets.
“We are constantly looking for ways in which to work in collaboration with partners and implement efficiency savings. I welcome this move to bring both emergency services together to serve the community of Maltby.”
Dr Billings responded to the recent Chancellor’s spending review saying he was pleased there would not be ‘draconian’ funding cuts but the force would still face a shortfall of £7m to account for salaries and other costs.
The move will mean fire services are closer to the east side of Rotherham which usually has a larger volume of incidents.
A spokesman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, added: “It will also improve services by making it easier for police and firefighters to share knowledge, skills and expertise when tackling common issues, like anti-social behaviour and road traffic collisions.”