FIRE chiefs have saved thousands of pounds - by no longer routinely serving tea and coffee at meetings.
The move has helped to cut South Yorkshire Fire Service’s hospitality bill by £17,000 over two years.
Bosses have highlighted the saving to show what they are doing to save money in a bid to protect frontline services.
They have reduced the number of senior management posts from 15 to 11, saving around £370,000 a year, and have slashed support staff to save over £500,000.
Bosses have also renegotiated contracts, saving £8,000 on cleaning. They have also stopped staff buying open ended rail tickets, saving £4,500 over the last two years.
A Fire Service spokesman said: “As a publicly-funded organisation, people rightly expect South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue to use its resources responsibly and efficiently. Particularly in these times of Government cuts, the public, politicians and our staff want to see we are cutting spending where it is not needed, and protecting the frontline as much as possible.
“The Government has stated it believes fire services and local authorities can save money. We believe we have been rising to this challenge since the funding cuts were announced in 2010, and shown we are doing everything that should be expected.
“We will continue to innovate and seek more ways to find savings. We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts.”
n Scrapping senior management posts - £370,000 a year.
n No longer buying ‘open ended ’ rail tickets - £4,500 over two years.
n Reducing the number of employees provided with uniforms - £17,000.
n Washing vehicles less often at stations - £11,000 a year.
n Reducing recruitment costs - Dropping from £130,000 a year to £20,000.
n Changing the brigade’s cleaning contractor - saved £8,000 a year.
n No longer providing refreshments during meetings - £17,000 over two years.
n Reducing postal runs - £15,000 a year.
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