New Home Office figures show cuts to Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have seen staff numbers fall by 10.5% since 2010.
Chester’s Labour MP Chris Matheson is raising concerns about those figures as well as statistics that reveal deaths as a result of fire have increased by 20% in the past year across England and Wales.
Mr Matheson said: “The government needs to think very carefully - austerity has gone too far and it is putting lives at risk.”
The Labour Party nationally is calling for a moratorium on further cuts to the service with a commitment to recruit 3,000 firefighters if elected.
The Association of British Insurers has indicated the UK could lose up to £10bn as a result of commercial and industrial fires by 2020.
At the same time the number of fire safety inspectors has also fallen by 28% nationally.
Mr Matheson continued: “These cuts are forcing a reduction in the number of fire safety inspectors too, which means the government is quite literally playing with fire. These inspectors check hospitals, schools, offices and shops to make sure owners are complying with safety law. There’s little point in law and regulation if there’s no one available to enforce it.”
In recent months Chris has brought together ex-firefighters – who have been raising safety concerns around reductions in the service – and high-ranking officers at Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to discuss the impact of cuts locally. In December he is hosting a meeting about fire safety with shadow fire minister Chris Williamson and MPs from across Cheshire.
