Overview
- Councillors voted to keep eight at‑risk on‑call stations open and to launch a modernisation programme after a heated public meeting on Tuesday, June 30.
- The reprieve is conditional on the UK Government granting extra council‑tax precept flexibility for 2027–28 and on the Authority choosing to use that flexibility in its February 2027 budget vote, otherwise closure options could be resumed.
- The stations named for retention are Maiden Newton, Charmouth, Cranborne and Hamworthy in Dorset and Mere, Bradford on Avon, Ramsbury and Wilton in Wiltshire.
- Financially, the service received a one‑off £1.8m grant that eased short‑term pressure but is seeking permission to raise the Band D fire precept by £8.77 (above the usual £5 cap) to generate about £2.252m annually; the Authority says it has already delivered roughly £15m in savings since the merger and is rated efficient by auditors.
- Campaigners, local MPs and the Fire Brigades Union won strong public support in a consultation of 6,188 responses with 85.5% opposing closures, yet unions warn that on‑call recruitment, morale and response times remain vulnerable if the promised funding does not materialise.