North Yorkshire’s fire and police services are to begin sharing resources as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The region’s police force has to find £10 million worth of cuts.
So the area’s emergency services are working together to restrict the cuts’ effect on the public, the Northern Echo reports.
Julia Mulligan, the police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire, signed a “statement of intent” with John Fort, the chairman of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (NYFRA), last Tuesday (December 17).
The pair have pledged to “provide a more efficient service through closer collaboration and the sharing of support functions” in a bid to safeguard frontline services and invest in the local economy.
The sharing specifics have not been finalised. But areas likely to be impacted include the command structure during the supervision of major incidents, specialist resources, human resources, finance, estates health and safety, communications, planning, IT, data management and legal services.
North Yorkshire’s police and fire services already share services such as training, transport and logistics.They have also piloted a combined community safety project in the Dales and Scarborough.
Both services are expecting the Government to make additional cuts over the years ahead.
Copyright Press Association 2013