Fire call centre plans could end in failure

6 Jan 05
Ministers are likely to plough ahead with plans to overhaul fire emergency call centres, despite a leaked Whitehall report stating the project runs the risk of 'total failure'.

07 January 2005

Ministers are likely to plough ahead with plans to overhaul fire emergency call centres, despite a leaked Whitehall report stating the project runs the risk of 'total failure'.

As part of the government's modernisation plans for the fire service, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to scrap England's 46 fire and rescue control rooms and merge them into nine new sites developed by private firms at a cost of £754m.

But a leaked ODPM report on the Fire Control initiative, released by the Fire Brigades Union this week, states that the government's poor record in procuring new projects means there is 'a risk of unsuccessful delivery… which could result in delay or even total project failure'.

FBU general secretary Andy Gilchrist said: 'This dangerous plan will axe our excellent command and control centres and be a financial burden on the fire service and taxpayers for years to come. It's expensive, it's risky and it won't save a single life.'

The report, which sets out the outline business case for the plan, describes the risk of failure as 'high/very high' and estimates losses could reach £107m. Up to 900 job cuts, radically reduced services and higher council taxes could also follow, according to the FBU's interpretation of the report.

Around a quarter of the cost of running the call centres will be spent on an expensive leaseback arrangement with the private firms that will build the sites.

The full disclosure of the report has also angered fire authorities, which were initially sent copies with financial estimates blanked out by ODPM officials.

Bernard Hughes, chair of the Devon Fire and Rescue Authority, said ministers had left authorities out of the equation. 'The business case produced by the ODPM has not allayed my concerns,' he warned.

But the ODPM's report concludes: 'The recommendation… is to proceed with the project.' The department said there was 'a robust justification' for the project, claiming it was more likely to save money, improve fire service performance, switch risk to private sector contractors involved in procurement and be affordable for local taxpayers.

A spokeswoman said: 'This is a draft report and the figures outlined are provisional. As with all projects there are risks involved, but we're confident that the business case is robust and that there are savings to be made.'

PFjan2005

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