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.
