Call to scrap £1bn fire centres bid

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The Fire Brigades Union said its members believed the money would be better spent on more staff, training and equipment.

The union has consistently opposed the plan to replace 46 emergency control centres in England and replace them with eight regional centres outside London.

The union said a survey of almost 2,000 of its members showed that virtually everyone believed the plans would damage the fire service's ability to respond to incidents.

Around nine out of ten also warned that the new centres could affect their safety and virtually everyone said the project should not go ahead.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: "Fire crews have almost no confidence in the Government's ability to deliver this new system and think it should be scrapped.

"This project is being forced down the throat of local fire services by a central government which thinks it knows best. We see the mess the Government is making of other major IT projects like tax credits and the NHS system and we don't want to see that happening in the fire service."

The union said the plans were already "chaotic", behind schedule and running over budget.

Mr Wrack said he feared spiralling costs of the project will lead to a cut in front line services and said an independent assessment was needed.

A spokesman for the Communities and Local Government Department said the project was aimed at creating a more resilient fire service. He added the Government was committed to delivering the scheme on time and on budget.