Questions raised

Fire authority company fails

THE FACT that a training company set up by South Yorkshire Fire Authority has ended in failure with debts that in all likelihood will have to be picked up by taxpayers, raises significant questions.

This ill-fated venture was set up five years ago with aim of generating much-needed income, but instead of boosting the fire authority’s coffers, time has now been called on South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Safety Solutions Limited with the authority opting to cut its losses instead.

It is astonishing that we do not yet now much this failed business is going to cost, while the fact that more than £15,000 was paid to an accountancy firm for a report on its predicament is in itself cause for concern.

Why was this report, which was produced last summer, not acted upon straight away and why didn’t local councillors have access to it sooner? The lack of transparency and accountability for such an important publicly-funded body is unacceptable. South Yorkshire taxpayers will also want to know why the fire authority was getting embroiled in business ventures in the first place.

There is undoubtedly growing pressure on fire authorities up and down the country to make dwindling resources stretch further.

The number of firefighters has fallen by more than 20 per cent over the past decade and the National Fire Chiefs Council has spoken of its concern that funding restrictions for Fire and Rescue Services could have a detrimental impact on vital services to the communities they serve.

These are genuine issues, however they don’t excuse fire authorities from being opaque when it comes to financial matters.