Regional Control Rooms......too late to complain now

A rare event happened to me today. I opened my e-mail in-box and there was an e-mail from the Mayor! Unfortunately it was just a round robin sent to every Councillor and wasn’t actually from the Mayor. It was sent following a request from the Chairman of Cleveland Emergency Planning Group to publicise the proposed closure of the Teesside Ambulance Control Room and the re-location of the control to Tyneside.

No hint on the e-mail as to whether Stuart was for or against the proposal but then that’s Stuart’s Leadership Style. Unless the matter concerns Hartlepool United, the Tall Ships or gets his picture in the Hartlepool Mail then Stuart shies away from expressing a definite opinion on anything. If there is the slightest chance he might back the wrong horse then he is conspicuous by his silence. After the race is over then Stuart will always have backed the winner, even if he didn’t say so until the result was declared. Very clever politics but not great leadership!

As regards the closure I am surprised that anyone cares. For years I tried, unsuccessfully, to warn about the closure of the Cleveland Fire Brigade Control room and its relocation to “Regional Control” at Belmont Business Park, Durham. The new control centre is expected to be operational in 2008 and from then on the North East control centre will be the first point of contact for members of the public seeking assistance through the ‘999’ system from fire and rescue services in Hartlepool, Stockton, Redcar, Middlesbrough, Northumberland, Tyneside, Wearside, Durham and Darlington.

If the setting up of a Regional Fire Control centre in Durham has been accepted then how can a Regional Ambulance Control on Tyneside be any different? The North East may have rejected an elected North East Assembly but the Regionalisation agenda continues to move forward unhindered.