John Mann and other Nottinghamshire MP’s have not been consulted about secret Fire Authority documents about a proposed move of Retford fire crew to Worksop.

John Mann believes that even Conservative MP for Retford, Patrick Mercer has also not been consulted.

Incredibly the councillors on the Fire Authority, who received a copy of the secret document in September kept silent, including Retford’s rural county Conservative Councillor John Hempsall.

Councillor Hempsall represents wards directly affected by any such change, with Rampton and Sturton amongst his wards. One proposal apparently actively pursued was to relocate the site into his Ranby ward.

The Fire Authority members include Labour, Conservative and Liberal councillors.

John Mann has written to both the Authority and the fire services Minister expressing his anger.  In the last hour the Fire Authority has agreed to met John Mann as a matter of urgency.

John Mann is demanding that this proposal is withdrawn immediately. The idea that Worksop can serve Retford as a permanent fire station is a total non starter.

We expect councillors running the fire service to keep the general public informed. Instead not even local MPs were informed of this proposal.

‘I cannot express my anger loud enough that I have been misled over these proposals. To suggest that local MP’s have been consulted makes this even more serious. At no time was the idea of Retford crews moving to Worksop ever muted with me. Instead I was informed that a new site in Worksop was being sought in the North of the town.

For villages in rural Bassetlaw, the distance from Worksop at peak times can be 45 minutes and the station also covers the A1 at one of its busiest sections.’

John Mann commented: ‘With the fire station at Newark moving southward, Retford requires full cover. The Bassetlaw constituency is as large as Greater London, with 550 square miles and the A620 is a narrow county lane in parts.

The discussion document has not been made available to the media nor is it available on the fire authority website. The internal briefing was given to councillors on the Fire Authority in September 2007.'