WORK to replace Keighley’s “not fit for purpose” fire station has been approved as part of West Yorkshire Fire Service’s latest budget.

West Yorkshire Fire Authority approved its 2020/21 budget and four year medium term financial plan at a meeting on Friday.

Included in those plans is a £21.8 million scheme to replace three fire stations - Keighley, Halifax and Huddersfield and the “rationalisation” of the fire service headquarters site in Birkenshaw.

The service had previously said the scheme would include a £2.2 million new-build fire station in Keighley in the coming financial year, which starts in April. This would be followed by a £2.5m new build fire station in Halifax in 2021/22, and a £3m new build fire station in Huddersfield in 2022/23.

The draft budget that was approved on Friday said: “These stations are under need of modernisation and are not fit for purpose for a modern fire service.”

Keighley to get new £2.2 million fire station, but union questions £13 million plan to improve headquarters

The service has confirmed they have appointed an architect for the re-build, but that the project is still in its early stages.

Keighley Fire Station, on Bradford Road, is over 55 years old and has been described as “run down” by the Fire Brigade’s Union.

The four year capital investment plan, which will cost £49.861m in total, will also include £1.8m a year for station refurbishments, investment in operational equipment including breathing gear sets and cylinders, the replacement of fire appliances and improvements to the Information Technology infrastructure.

At Friday’s meeting members of the Fire Authority were told the main sources of funding for the projects would be borrowing and capital reserves.

The fire service is funded through a number of sources - including 1 per cent of all business rates collected in West Yorkshire, and a precept added to Council Tax. Members agreed to set this precept at 1.99 per cent - which they were told would help balance the service’s budget this coming year.

The budget for the coming year includes £30,000 for body worn cameras, £450,000 to replace or upgrade fire hydrants, £200,000 for electric vehicle charging units at fire service sites, £500,000 towards smoke alarms and the first £1,050,000 towards the fire station re-build projects.

It also includes £76,000 has been included for expected costs resulting from the national Grenfell review. One recommendation of the review is that all fire services purchase of smoke hoods. These hoods would be handed out to people caught in building fires to make it easier for them to breathe in smoke logged conditions whilst they are being led out of the building. They give up to 15 minutes protection by filtering out carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein gases.

However, authority members were told that despite an order having been placed for the hoods - the service had not yet received them.

With the Grenfell Review suggesting all services have smoke hoods in their engines, there was a huge demand across the country to purchase the limited number of hoods available.

This meant West Yorkshire had not yet been sent the smoke hoods that had been ordered.

John Roberts, Chief Fire Officer, said: “It is a supply and demand issue. Every fire service in the UK will be wanting them.”