COUNTY fire chief Barry Dixon has pledged that Leigh councillors can act as watchdogs if and when Leigh Fire Station's second pump transfers to Ashton.

Wigan Council leader Lord Peter Smith is satisfied councillors will be able to monitor the system on behalf of local residents to ensure response times do not suffer and may demand improvements if necessary.

Mr Dixon suggested the time-scale of the review would allow the fire service to take a further look at the proposals, if it was felt necessary, before they were finally implemented.

He explained that once the Greater Manchester Fire Authority has decided its position on the review, it then has to be examined by an independent inspector who will make recommendations to the government. The process could take several years, and the fire service would reassess the situation before it finally went ahead.

Assured

Lord Smith said: "While Mr Dixon understandably does not believe this review will put lives at risk or make the response times worse, he has assured me that Leigh councillors will be able to review the actual impact of whatever changes are finally agreed. If there is any evidence at all that the service gets worse then action will be taken.

"The fire service also has to convince an independent inspector that its proposals will be in the best interests of all the communities which it serves.

"These are welcome safeguards which I hope will go some way to reassuring residents that no-one is prepared to see any reduction in the quality of the fire service in Leigh."