Plans approved for joint police and fire station

The current Maltby fire station will close, and Maltby police station, on Byford Road, will be modified to addommodate fire service vehicles and staff, under the new plans approved by Rotherham Council.

£560,000 of Government Transformation Funding was allocated to the project last year, which will help save both South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue money, by sharing building running costs and enabling funding to be targeted directly at frontline services.

The move will shift fire service resources around a mile closer to the east side of Rotherham, which traditionally accounts for a greater volume of emergency incidents compared to the lower risk areas to the east of Maltby.

It will also improve services by making it easier for police and firefighters to share knowledge, skills and expertise when tackling common issues, like anti-social behaviour and road traffic collisions.

In a similar way, it will also help both organisations to reach the most vulnerable members of the community.

SYFR Director of Finance & Resources, Beverley Sandy, said: “This is a move that makes perfect sense for us, for the police and for the taxpayer.

“Instead of having two public buildings, and all the running costs associated with them, we will be able to combine our resources into one facility, which will enable us to provide a more efficient frontline service.

“By working alongside each other under one roof, the move will also benefit both organisations by improving how we work together to solve the problems we jointly face, which can only help to improve the quality of the service we offer to the people of our local community.”

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “We are constantly looking for ways in which to work in collaboration with partners and implement efficiency savings. I welcome this move to bring both emergency services together to serve the community of Maltby.”

Kier has been appointed as the main contractor for the project and the final specification will be submitted to the Fire Authority in January, with a view to the new facility opening sometime in summer 2016.

Maltby fire station, on High Street, is currently home to one full time fire engine. Work to begin making the necessary changes to the existing Maltby police station is expected to begin in the New Year.