The announcement by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service that it had been proposed to close three on call community Fire Stations has been met with opposition by impacted local residents.
There are significant concerns from residents and firefighters alike that the proposed plans to increase service in St.Neots to 7-days-a-week, at the expense of any service in Kimbolton, will leave many of the surrounding homes and villages without adequate fire and rescue coverage. Having discussed this in detail with both the impacted firefighters and also with local residents who have serious concerns regarding the proposed closure, it is clear that this is a proposal that is in urgent need of the consultation period scheduled to take place in the first half of 2024. Late in 2023 I met with Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service HQ and discussed the issue with Area Commander Stuart Smith, ACFO Jon Anderson and Deputy Chief Executive Matthew Warren and highlighted these concerns directly to those proposing the closures.
The closure of the station will leave Kimbolton and the surrounding villages to be covered by the two pumps in St Neots and will have an impact upon the Fire Service's response time both to fire and rescue situations. In addition to this it means we could potentially lose some highly experienced firefighters.
I very much believe the station should remain open in order to provide timely and valuable fire service coverage for the surrounding area. As such I am committed to keeping Kimbolton Community Fire Station open as are my colleagues Steve Barclay MP and Lucy Frazer MP for Manea and Sutton respectively.
