Worcestershire MPs have written to Fire Authority chairman Derek Prodger calling for a re-think on plans to re-configure front line fire services across the county. The MPs attended a briefing by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates and have been having one-to-one briefings with senior officers over the last few weeks. And the county MPs agreed to write together to urge the Fire Authority to re-think the strategy which threatens to weaken the fire services ability to deal with major incidents and provide standard levels of cover. They have also written to Communities Secretary Eric Pickles asking for an improved grant settlement. Alongside this pledge the MPs urged the authority to look at finding cost-efficiencies without affecting frontline services. Harriett Baldwin, MP for West Worcestershire, commented: “As a group, the Worcestershire MPs were briefed on the potential impact of budget cuts and the threat to a number of fire stations across the county. “Specifically we were concerned by the general impact of these changes on front line services and the ability to handle major incidents such as the recent major fire in Droitwich or the heavy flooding that the county experienced in 2007. “The proposed new service levels are not acceptable to us and we have asked the Fire Authority to have a re-think and look at other ways of making savings before considering this strategy. “We will lobby the Minister to improve the grant settlement for the local fire service and we hope that the Fire Authority will respond positively to the challenge we now set them.”