A Crisis in Community Safety: Why We Must Reject the Cuts to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
- Thomas Ashby
- Dec 3, 2025
- 3 min read
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service have launched a consultation, claiming proposals to cut elements of the fire service will improve it. But when we look closely at the fine print; at the details of station closures, reduced cover, and loss of vital resources; it becomes terrifyingly clear. These are not improvements. They are dangerous cuts, and they put every single person in Oxfordshire at greater risk.
That's why We must object to these plans.
The first pillar of this disastrous plan is the closure of three crucial, local fire stations: Eynsham, Woodstock, and Henley.
Focussing specifically on the devastating impact these cuts will have on communities like Eynsham and Woodstock... For years, these on-call stations have been the immediate line of defence, built into the very fabric of their communities. The Fire and Rescue Service argues that these stations have low availability or that surrounding stations can cover the gap. But let us be absolutely clear: a longer drive is a longer response time. Low availability is a problem to be fixed through investment and aggressive recruitment of new on-call firefighters, not by simply erasing the station entirely!
The closures of Eynsham and Woodstock do not just affect those villages; they stretch the resources of neighbouring stations, forcing them to cover wider, more complex, and more rural areas. When a fire starts, or when a road traffic collision occurs, every second is a matter of life or death. The closure of a local station forces our already strained crews to travel further, delaying their arrival when the difference between saving a life or losing it can be measured in a few breaths. This proposal is nothing short of a public safety downgrade for West Oxfordshire.
When we are asleep, when our vigilance is lowest, we depend completely on our emergency services. Reducing the number of wholetime crews at night, and cutting five fire engines overall from the service, strips away the resilience and rapid response capability we need most. This is particularly alarming given that the new Lib-Dem local plan forecasts 18,000 new homes in West Oxfordshire alone. A growing population means increased demand, more infrastructure, and higher risks. Now is not the time for the Lib-Dems to decimate our ability to respond to large, complex, or concurrent incidents. This cut to night cover is a gamble with your safety, and it is a gamble we cannot afford to lose.
Furthermore, we know the data underpinning this entire consultation is flawed. The assumptions about risk and response times simply do not stack up against reality. The Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service needs to go back to the drawing board entirely, scrap these dangerous proposals, and begin a genuine engagement process with its staff. They must fully and properly take the professional concerns of the Fire Brigades Union on board before bringing anything so consequential back before the public.
Finally, we must consider the human cost. Our dedicated firefighters, who run toward danger when everyone else runs away, are already working tirelessly. The Fire Brigades Union has warned that these plans will force staff into punishing 12-hour shifts and will deepen the crisis in recruitment and retention.
We cannot expect our brave crews to keep protecting us if the system is designed to burn them out. A demotivated, under-resourced, and overworked fire service is less safe for the public and less effective in an emergency. The plans to merge Rewley Road and Kidlington, and cut a vital special rescue vehicle, demonstrate a disregard for the welfare of our residents and the specialised equipment they may need.
The solutions to the Fire Service's financial and availability challenges are not found in cuts and closures. They are found in investment, in aggressive recruitment drives, and in demanding that central government provide the funding necessary for a twenty-first-century emergency service.
This consultation is our chance to speak up. I urge everyone in Oxfordshire to make your voice heard, to fill out that consultation, and to tell the Lib Dems at Oxfordshire County Council: Don’t play Russian roulette with our Fire Service. Scrap these dangerous plans! Invest in our service! Do not put a price on our safety!
Have your say on the proposed cuts to our Fire Services in Oxfordshire. We cannot let the Lib-Dems put our lives in danger!
PLEASE COMPLETE OUR PETITION TO SAVE OXFORDSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE
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