Eight firefighter posts at Torquay fire station have been saved following a dramatic decision by fire authority members not to axe its Bronto crews.
Proposals by Devon and Somerset fire chiefs to save £1million by scrapping the specialist, full time posts to man the skylift had sparked outrage.But after a marathon three-and-a-half-hour meeting at fire headquarters in Exeter yesterday, authority members representing Devon and Somerset voted 13 to 10 against the controversial bid.
Torquay firefighters who sat through the debate were beaming after the decision and shaking each other by the hand after the recorded vote was counted down and they realised the proposal was defeated.
Saturday, 27 October 2007
Friday, 12 October 2007
WE'RE UNITED IN FIRE CUTS FIGHT'
Torbay today unveiled a united front in the battle to save the Bronto.
The Bay's two fire authority members have turned up the heat in the fight to save the resort's budget-threatened Bronto jobs by coming out in favour of firefighters' objections to the £1million cuts.Both Roger Kerslake and Chris Lewis arrived at Torquay Fire Station yesterday to announce their alliance with crews who have campaigned for the resort's hydraulic platforms to be fully manned by eight frontline firefighters.
The Tory duo say the Bay, just like Plymouth, should be made a special case and not lose its dedicated team of Bronto operators.
Both are now pushing for an amendment when the crucial matter is discussed by the Devon and Somerset authority at its re-arranged meeting on October 26.
The pair had kept their voting intentions a secret throughout the 12-week period of public consultation, a silence they admit had caused them some pain and pressure.
Their declaration was immediately welcomed by the Fire Brigade Union, firefighters and Bay Mayor Nick Bye who personally attended yesterday afternoon's press conference where he insisted that Torbay should, like Plymouth, be made a 'special case'.
Both men argued that any cuts should be made purely on operational grounds and not out of any financial considerations.
The Bay's two fire authority members have turned up the heat in the fight to save the resort's budget-threatened Bronto jobs by coming out in favour of firefighters' objections to the £1million cuts.Both Roger Kerslake and Chris Lewis arrived at Torquay Fire Station yesterday to announce their alliance with crews who have campaigned for the resort's hydraulic platforms to be fully manned by eight frontline firefighters.
The Tory duo say the Bay, just like Plymouth, should be made a special case and not lose its dedicated team of Bronto operators.
Both are now pushing for an amendment when the crucial matter is discussed by the Devon and Somerset authority at its re-arranged meeting on October 26.
The pair had kept their voting intentions a secret throughout the 12-week period of public consultation, a silence they admit had caused them some pain and pressure.
Their declaration was immediately welcomed by the Fire Brigade Union, firefighters and Bay Mayor Nick Bye who personally attended yesterday afternoon's press conference where he insisted that Torbay should, like Plymouth, be made a 'special case'.
Both men argued that any cuts should be made purely on operational grounds and not out of any financial considerations.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
BAY HAS TO MAKE 'DIFFICULT DECISIONS'
Strong, bold political leadership will be needed to make the vision of a thriving Torbay into reality.
Bernie Foulkes, of LDA Design, warned at the presentation at the Imperial Hotel that other such visions had gathered dust.Others had succeeded.
In his experience, what was needed to make sure Torbay became one of Europe's most attractive seaside cities was: "Determination to get there even if getting from here to there means bloodying a few noses, stepping on a few toes, it has to happen. It's not easy.
"It takes a bold, imaginative step to get from where we are today to where we want to get to.
"It means making difficult decisions, making yourself unpopular from time to time."
But he said other towns and cities had succeeded in turning themselves around.
He said Torbay was an 'extraordinary place' which already had a huge advantage in the incomparable quality of its 'fabulous' natural setting and environment, and its rich built heritage, which other locations didn't.
Read the rest of this piece here
Bernie Foulkes, of LDA Design, warned at the presentation at the Imperial Hotel that other such visions had gathered dust.Others had succeeded.
In his experience, what was needed to make sure Torbay became one of Europe's most attractive seaside cities was: "Determination to get there even if getting from here to there means bloodying a few noses, stepping on a few toes, it has to happen. It's not easy.
"It takes a bold, imaginative step to get from where we are today to where we want to get to.
"It means making difficult decisions, making yourself unpopular from time to time."
But he said other towns and cities had succeeded in turning themselves around.
He said Torbay was an 'extraordinary place' which already had a huge advantage in the incomparable quality of its 'fabulous' natural setting and environment, and its rich built heritage, which other locations didn't.
Read the rest of this piece here
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
MAYOR UNVEILS HIS VISION FOR FUTURE
A new vision for Torbay will be unveiled today which is designed to lead the resort forward for future development and investment.
The regeneration blueprint entitled The New English Riviera - The Mayor's Vision - is expected to spark controversy and get people talking about improvements for the Bay for the next 20 years.Ahead of the launch Mr Bye said: "It is a really exciting day. I have had a taste of the new vision and I am very excited. I would almost be disappointed if it doesn't cause some controversy and strong opinions."
More than 50 building projects and environmental improvements have been identified by Torbay Council and its regeneration arm, the Torbay Development Agency.
These have been investigated by consultants LDA Design from Exeter, who have prioritised projects from the list as well as consulting with the community to add new ideas to it.
More than 300 ideas have been suggested and these have again been streamlined to those that are achievable and fit within the new vision which is designed to turn around the Bay's economy.
"I don't want people to just say 'that's alright' and take no notice of it," said Mr Bye.
"It is great to hear what people's thoughts are. It is all very positive about building the Bay up and getting that sense of pride that we live somewhere very special. In recent years we have either forgotten that or not made the most of it. This is about meeting our wonderful natural environment with an equal built environment and it is a way of getting investment and boosting our economy for everybody's benefit."
continue reading this story HERE
The regeneration blueprint entitled The New English Riviera - The Mayor's Vision - is expected to spark controversy and get people talking about improvements for the Bay for the next 20 years.Ahead of the launch Mr Bye said: "It is a really exciting day. I have had a taste of the new vision and I am very excited. I would almost be disappointed if it doesn't cause some controversy and strong opinions."
More than 50 building projects and environmental improvements have been identified by Torbay Council and its regeneration arm, the Torbay Development Agency.
These have been investigated by consultants LDA Design from Exeter, who have prioritised projects from the list as well as consulting with the community to add new ideas to it.
More than 300 ideas have been suggested and these have again been streamlined to those that are achievable and fit within the new vision which is designed to turn around the Bay's economy.
"I don't want people to just say 'that's alright' and take no notice of it," said Mr Bye.
"It is great to hear what people's thoughts are. It is all very positive about building the Bay up and getting that sense of pride that we live somewhere very special. In recent years we have either forgotten that or not made the most of it. This is about meeting our wonderful natural environment with an equal built environment and it is a way of getting investment and boosting our economy for everybody's benefit."
continue reading this story HERE
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
Costa Del Confusion
In the past few weeks two leading national Tories have dropped in on Torbay to boost tourism.
They must have wondered what they had got themselves into.Ann Milton, then shadow minister for tourism, was the first VIP guest when she lunched with Mayor Nick Bye, hoteliers and other business leaders.
The lunch was organised by Marcus Wood, the Tory's prospective parliamentary candidate for Torbay. It was hailed as a positive meeting with the shadow minister quoted as saying: "It was quite exciting speaking to Nick Bye, who clearly has some good ideas to help the tourism industry."
Read the rest of this story here
They must have wondered what they had got themselves into.Ann Milton, then shadow minister for tourism, was the first VIP guest when she lunched with Mayor Nick Bye, hoteliers and other business leaders.
The lunch was organised by Marcus Wood, the Tory's prospective parliamentary candidate for Torbay. It was hailed as a positive meeting with the shadow minister quoted as saying: "It was quite exciting speaking to Nick Bye, who clearly has some good ideas to help the tourism industry."
Read the rest of this story here
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