Jamie McGrigor, Highlands & Islands Conservative MSP, today voiced concerns of his constituents across the Highlands & Islands about the proposed closure of the Inverness Fire Control Room.
Jamie was speaking in a Member’s Debate on the subject, taking place in the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking in the debate, Jamie said:
“On behalf of constituents across my region, I wish to highlight the very genuine concerns about the proposal to close the Inverness control room. I was recently in the Western Isles and was presented by campaigners, including Councillor Catriona Stewart, with a copy of the petition with over 3000 signatures which was given to David Stewart as Convenor of the Petitions Committee.
“The number of signatures collected - in addition to those gathered through the Facebook campaign - demonstrates the strength of local feeling. Council leaders have also spoken out against the changes.
“Anxiety about the potential loss of local knowledge and expertise is widespread. The remote rural and island communities of the Highlands & Islands region have been well served by the Inverness control room.
“Constituents, especially those in the Western Isles, have correctly pointed out that many roads, and house and place names, in the region are in Gaelic, and it is therefore vital those in the control room have this awareness - something the Inverness control room certainly has and something which has been acquired and built up over a very long period of time.
“There are also many cases of a duplication of place names across the Highlands, Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles. Computer systems cannot compensate for the local knowledge of place names and dialects.
“I also share the concern of constituents who are annoyed that communities simply were not consulted before the proposal to close the Inverness control room was announced. This is highly regrettable.
“I call on the Minister to recognise and address the very significant level of public concern across the Highlands & Islands on this matter and to urge the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to engage with communities and reassess its decision on the Inverness control room”.