A DECISON over the future of fire service cover in West Wirral is expected soon after a 12-week public consultation came to an end last week.

The exercise was to gauge public opinion over a proposal to close West Kirby and Upton fire stations and merge them at a new, single site in Saughall Massie Road at Upton.

The controversial move has been made necessary after Government cuts to the Merseyside fire authority budget.

Throughout the consultation, the public were invited to suggest suitable alternative options for cash savings. The results now will be considered by the authority who will make a definitive decision next month.

Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens said: “The 12-week consultation on fire cover in West Wirral has now concluded and I would like to thank everyone who has attended public meetings, completed our questionnaires and engaged with the consultation.

“I must make it clear, however, that we have to make structural changes in order to deliver the required levels of savings and there is no operational response option that I can recommend which will improve response performance.

“Over the last four years the authority has had to make savings of £20m as a result of cuts in our Government grant.

“We are required to make further savings over £6m in 2015/16 and our expectation is that there will be more grant reductions in the following years.”

Proposed changes have proved to be highly-controversial. The original plan was to build a new fire station at Greasby but it caused a public outcry and opposition from residents was overwhelming.

So many concerned householders attended a public meeting at Greasby Methodist Church Hall in October that more than 500 were unable to gain entry.

Eventually people-power won the day and the suggested site was withdrawn by Wirral Council, forcing the fire authority to look elsewhere before deciding on Saughall Massie Road.