Clause 2 - Power to create combined fire and rescue authorities
Fire and Rescue Services Bill
2:45 pm
Mr Nick Raynsford (Minister of State (Local and Regional Government), Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Greenwich and Woolwich, Labour)
I hesitate to go too far down this road, because you will undoubtedly reprimand me if I do so, Sir Nicholas, but I cannot fail to observe that London has by far and away the best figures on cost-effectiveness of any fire and rescue authority. It is right that, after London, the larger authorities such as the west midlands are best placed in that regard. That is an obvious point if one has relatively small authorities. It has nothing to do with density. I am talking about relatively small authorities such as the Isle of Wight having to staff a control room to operate 24 hours a day without the level of calls necessary to make that
cost-effective. That is a simple fact of life. It has to do with size, not density. It would not matter if the Isle of Wight were compacted in an area a quarter of its size. There would still be exactly the same problems to do with size and cost-effectiveness. It is unfortunate that the hon. Gentleman, who speaks for the Conservative party, should take such a relaxed view of the importance of cost-effectiveness.