Fire authority awards itself allowance rise

Published in Windsor Express on Fri 26th Jun 2009

OFFICIALS who want to save money by shutting Windsor's fire station at night have voted themselves a massive 400 per cent increase in allowances.

Members of Berkshire Fire Authority awarded themselves the pay hike at the annual meeting on Wednesday, only minutes after their county chief fire officer, Iain Cox, rejected a call by campaigner Richard Coates to rethink the night closure plan that opponents say will put lives in Windsor at risk. Councillors on the fire authority will now receive a basic £1,800 a year allowance instead of the previous amount of £412 - not to mention new mileage, subsistence and accommodation allowances if they undertake special duties.

After the meeting, a seething Mr Coates said:

"Members have voted themselves a rise in their allowances, plus extra travel and accommodation expenses which, over the course of a year, will be the equivalent of three whole-time firemen's salaries, enough to keep Windsor station open during the night hours.

"All this extra finance comes out of the fire budget - it is an absolute disgrace."

The Royal Borough has four members on the fire authority - all of whom refused to support the rise. The three Conservative members, Christine Bateson, Phillip Bicknell and John Lenton, abstained in the vote while Lib Dem Kathy Newbound voted against.

The Royal Borough has already announced it hopes to take control of the fire service in its area in a last-ditch bid to keep it open 24 hours a day.

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