Almost £1 million of public money will be saved a year in plans to merge police and fire transport maintenance in Staffordshire.
Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire Authority’s ambition is to deliver better value for money and better services for people in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. This will lead to a fully integrated system where vehicle maintenance and procurement are aligned between the two organisations.
The two organisations have been working together to establish exactly how the collaboration will work and how the most efficient approach to vehicle maintenance can be achieved. The collaboration would see emergency vehicles from both police and fire services being repaired and serviced at Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s vehicle maintenance facility in Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent.
It is anticipated that the move will save around £950,000 a year after it is implemented and more than halve the time most police vehicles are off the road for servicing or repair.
A longer-term aspiration of both organisations is to see other public sector organisations join the combined fleet programme.
Mr Ellis said: “This is another big leap forward on the road to delivering better value for money and better services for people in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. It shows that there is clear joined up ambition to do better and work towards common goals.
“This is a common sense way of saving money and improving services at the same time by getting rid of duplication and sharing expertise. It is a template for what we should be doing across the public sector in Staffordshire.”
Chairman of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Authority’s Len Bloomer said: “This is an excellent example of partnership working that will result in substantial savings for the residents of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. The joint project will enable the fire and rescue service and the police to be even more efficient and effective while continuing to provide a first class service to our communities.
“A lot of hard work has gone on between the partners in order to reach this point and we are committed to delivering an ambitious joint venture.”
Planning for the fleet programme is underway with joint servicing and repair work due to begin in 2015.
