Saddleworth Moor fires - MP blasts Government's response

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams has written to the Minister of State for Policing and Fire Service, Nick Hurd MP, demanding that firefighters on Saddleworth Moor, and Winter Hill in Bolton, are be given more resources.

Mrs Abrahams has also urged Mr Hurd to reconsider plans to reduce the local government settlement fund to the Greater Manchester and Lancashire fire authorities.

Mrs Abrahams, who co-signed the letter with Jonathan Reynolds, MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, said: “Last week, at Prime Minister’s Questions, I asked Theresa May if she would allocate contingency funds in recognition of this major incident and the huge impact it’s having on local resources.

"But all we’ve heard from the Government so far is warm words.

“That’s just not good enough, especially the you compare it to the amazing response from the general public to requests for donations of sun cream, insect repellent, caps and socks, and even soft tracked vehicles.

“The firefighters, and the public, are doing their bit, now the Government needs to step up to the plate and act quickly to show they understand the severity of the situation."

In the letter, Mrs Abrahams points out that Greater Manchester has seen firefighters cut by 35% (700) since 2010, with a 12% funding cut expected by 2020.

And Lancashire has seen firefighters cut by 24% (314) with a 14% funding cut during the same period.

She goes on to ask the minister to commit to reassessing the projected reduction in local government settlement funding provided to the Greater Manchester and Lancashire fire authorities in response to the Saddleworth Moor fire.

The letter ends by saying that this incident has shown that we must support our emergency and public services, particularly during these exceptional, potentially catastrophic events.