Staffordshire Fire and Rescue could cut company car total
The number of company cars given to senior officers at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service could be reduced as part of a cost-cutting drive.
The number of company cars given to senior officers at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service could be reduced as part of a cost-cutting drive.
It comes after a re-structuring at the authority that has seen the number of senior roles reduced from seven to two.
A working party will now consider cutting the number of vehicles – currently at seven – to reduce costs.
Following the re-structure there are now only chief fire officer Peter Dartford and deputy fire officer Chris Ennis. They drive a 4x4 and an Audi respectively.
A report for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority next week says that a task group will meet over the next month to look at the number of senior officer cars.
Len Bloomer, chairman of the authority, said it was a potential cost-saving.
He said: "The position of the cars seemed to have been overlooked. We certainly do not need seven cars. The purchase of a car might cost between £20,000 and £40,000."
It comes as bosses at the fire authority need to find savings of £4 million by 2015.
Fourteen firefighters at Lichfield will lose a £5,000 annual allowance from next month as part of the cuts. And earlier this year the Express & Star revealed that more than £830,000 had been slashed from budgets at the authority following a shake-up of jobs which had come into effect.
It followed bosses thrashing out a new management structure which saw nine area commands replaced by three service delivery groups.
Chief Fire Officer MrDartford reassured people earlier this year that any changes would not compromise safety.
At the start of the year it was revealed that firefighters in Staffordshire have clocked up more than £500,000 in overtime payments in the past three years. Figures showed that Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service paid £136,217 to staff working over their agreed hours in 2008/9. A further £183,594 was paid in 2009/10.
On top of that another £157,679 was paid out in 2010/11. An extra £89,673 was paid during the first seven months of the 2011/12 financial year.
Fire chiefs said the figures are explained by the nature of the work –as firefighters are sometimes required to work longer shifts or cover staff absences.
They have also said they are trying to cut down on how much they pay out by changing staffing arrangements.