That this House expresses its concern at the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Authority’s plans to close eight stations within the service, including the one at Hamworthy in Poole constituency; acknowledges that this would result in a loss of 96 firefighters overall, thirteen of which would be from Hamworthy, with a further loss of eight fire engines, one of which from Hamworthy and six specialist vehicles, two of which would come from Hamworthy; recognises that between 2024 and 2025 the Hamworthy crew was mobilised 391 times and is the thirteenth busiest station in the service; further recognises that the Hamworthy crew has 132 years of combined service to the public; further expresses concern that these proposed cuts could mean longer response times, reduced fire cover, weaker resilience during major incidents, increased pressure on remaining crews, reduced preparedness for worsening climate impacts, increased risk of isolation for flood-prone Hamworthy and reduced public engagement for community and youth groups; supports the Fire Brigades Union, local residents and the hon. Member for Poole in their campaign to save the Hamworthy Fire Station; calls on the Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy to investigate further the rationale behind the proposed closure; and further calls on the Government to provide further funding to the fire and rescue service to avoid such closures.
