Delay for new fire control centre

A new opening date has not been announced

The opening of the East Midlands regional fire control centre has again been delayed due to technical issues.

The new centre at Castle Donington, Leicestershire was expected to be fully operational by summer 2010.

A new opening date for the centre, which has already been built, has not been set.

The merged centre will run services for Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and Northamptonshire.

The Derbyshire operations had been due to move there next October, with Nottinghamshire following in March 2010 with all services relocated by the summer.

Union fears

The Communities and Local Government department said the complex technology needed to run the centre will not be ready in time.

Managers have described the setback as "disappointing", but they said the project will definitely proceed.

The Fire Brigades Union has opposed the project, saying the cost of moving to a single control centre would divert funds from front line training and equipment.

The East Midlands Regional Management Board, which represents the five fire and rescue services, said it will "do everything possible to support staff in their individual control rooms through a period of uncertainty".

National plan

"We have been aware that the predicted timescales were looking less and less achievable," Councillor Peter Roffey, board chairman, said.

"This situation has been outside of our control but I am pleased that it has been officially recognised by the department so that the plans can be reviewed and we can consider how we move on to the next stage."

The centre was due to be fully functional by the summer 2010.

The project is part of a national plan to close 46 emergency fire control rooms and replace them with eight regional centres.