CLLR Goldbart is right to praise the operational competence and skill of Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and I completely agree when he writes that they are one of the finest in the UK.
I do not agree with his assertion that Cllr Beesley was aggressive toward DFRS and there is nothing in the council leader’s speech that accuses DFRS of “poor financial management”.
He does however rightly express disappointment regarding Dorset Fire Authority’s decision to increase their portion of council tax by 1.89 per cent.
I am also a member of Dorset Fire Authority and I, along with Cllr Rochester from Bournemouth and another member from Poole, voted against this recommendation having scrutinised the budget and medium term financial plan.
All authorities have seen dramatic reductions in budget from central government in order to reduce the deficit, which means the public sector has to step up, adapt and find new ways of achieving their objectives and purpose.
It should be standard practice for all authorities to improve efficiency and look for services they can share, re-structure or merge.
It is this mindset that will have enabled Bournemouth’s Conservative administration to have delivered savings of £222m by end of 2015/16 and five years of zero council tax increases.
Cllr Beesley also reminds us that the government expects all authorities to do everything in their power to ensure council tax bills are not increased and freeze grants have been offered to assist in this process. One per cent had been offered to DFRS and the current budget position shows high cost centre balances and healthy reserves.
In addition Dorset has seen a substantial increase in the number of council tax payers, which is set to continue and of course means an increase in revenue to all authorities including DFRS and the future combined authority. It is for those reasons that I saw no justification at all for the majority of my fellow DFA members voting in favour of this increase.
CLLR BEVERLEY DUNLOP
Moordown Ward
Member of Dorset Fire Authority
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel