Windsor fire station – Royal Borough granted leave to seek judicial review

The Royal Borough's campaign to retain 24-hour fire cover in Windsor has been boosted this week with the news that it has been given permission to seek a judicial review of the decision by Berkshire Fire Authority to close the town's fire station at night.

Councillors have expressed their "absolute delight" at the news – which comes in the wake of the fire authority's decision last year to axe night-time cover and provide a service from Slough between 8pm and 8am.

Cllr David Burbage, council leader, said: "This is very encouraging news for everyone who has been fighting to retain 24-hour, seven-day-a week fire cover for Windsor. 

"We took the decision in October to resort to legal action to overturn the fire authority's decision – and this week's news is a positive step forward in our bid to safeguard the level of fire cover our residents and visitors to Windsor need and deserve.

"We promised our residents we would do everything in our power to fight this decision – and now we must turn our energies to keeping up that fight on their behalf through the courts."

Cllr Christine Bateson, one of the council's representatives on the fire authority, said: "I am absolutely delighted – this is a real boost for Windsor's campaign.  We have had overwhelming support from every quarter of the community within the borough.  Now we can continue to try to safeguard the full-time fire cover we so desperately want to maintain in Windsor."

The news follows the council's application to the High Court in October to seek a review on the grounds that:
· the fire authority's consultation process was flawed
· the fire authority based its decision on historical statistics and without proper assessment of future risks and demands in respect of continuing population increases in both Windsor and Slough.

The Berkshire Fire Authority now has 35 days to prepare its defence, after which a date will be set for the court hearing.