The convener of Tayside Fire and Rescue Board has lambasted Dundee politicians who have spoken out against proposals to downgrade Balmossie fire station — accusing them of simply “trying to get their faces in the paper before the election.”
Ken Lyall said the representatives, including members of his own party, were guilty of the “worst sort of politics” in campaigning to retain the status quo at the Broughty Ferry station.
The board wants to implement a consultation that would see full-time night cover at Balmossie — the quietest whole-time station in Tayside and described by Councillor Lyall as a “sleepy hollow” — removed in order to allow a full-time crew to operate a dayshift in Forfar.
This would see Balmossie manned by a part-time retained crew between 6pm and 8am, something which has provoked outrage in the area it serves.
Ahead of a special meeting of the board in Perth today, at which councillors from Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross will vote on the issue, Mr Lyall said that those who had spoken out against the plans could in fact be placing the station’s future in jeopardy.
He explained, “I want the fire board to be able to provide the best service to Tayside as a whole.
“If the plans aren’t approved tomorrow, they’ll simply come up next year and the year after that until they are.Worst sort of politics”The fire service is going to have to make cuts of around 15% over the next few years, which could see some fire stations having to close completely, and out of all 34 stations in Tayside Balmossie is the 27th busiest.
“I don’t want it to close but the politicians who aren’t supporting the proposals are guilty of the worst sort of politics.
“Their views are completely skewed by the fact that there is an election coming up and they want to get their faces in the paper — but they could in fact be contributing to a deficit which might see us having to close Balmossie altogether.”
Broughty Ferry and Monifieth residents have been vociferous in their opposition to the plans and a Fire Brigade Union (FBU) petition against the proposals has over 5000 names.
Many have been angered by the fact that threats to the station’s future resurfaced just months after a consultation aimed at removing full-time night cover was rejected in the light of overwhelming public outcry.
Last week, over 200 people marched through Broughty Ferry at a rally against downgrading the station.ScaremongeringBut Mr Lyall claims this is a result of “scaremongering” on the part of the FBU and politicians, whom he feels have wrongly persuaded the public that their safety would be jeopardised by the potential changes.
The Aberfeldy councillor said, “What I can’t understand is why people like (Dundee East SNP MSP) Stewart Hosie are not supporting our plans.
“He’s been in favour of lots of controversial projects in the past, like the Beauly to Denny power line.
“And Dundee councillors unfortunately seem to be off their trolleys.
“They voted in favour of retaining full-night cover at Balmossie whilst accepting all the other plans outlined in the Towards A Safer Tayside document, including the dayshift at Forfar.
“This would create a half a million pound deficit at a time when we need to make huge cuts. It’s ludicrous.”
Last night, however, local representatives refused to back down in their defence of the station.UnconvincedMr Hosie, a party colleague of Mr Lyall, rejected the idea that politicians were backing the campaign to increase their popularity with the electorate ahead of the election.
He said, “This has been a campaign which has been ongoing for nearly two years and I remain unconvinced that the genuine concerns of local people are being addressed.
“A decision will be made on Monday and I can only hope that all members of the fire board pay particular regard to the huge strength of public feeling on the matter.”
Derek Scott, a Conservative councillor for the Ferry Ward, added that there were “many compelling reasons” for keeping full night-time cover.
He said, “The one that causes me the greatest concern is that a retained crew will take longer to muster than a full-time crew.
“Also the fire station is located near to the busy commuter routes in and out of Angus and is close to the railway line so is best placed to deal with emergencies that occur there.
“Balmossie might well be one of the quieter stations in Tayside, but it provides reassurance and peace of mind to those residents who live locally.”