However many reassuring noises the West Yorkshire Fire Authority might make about the plan to move one of Shipley's two fire engines to Bradford, it is very clear that the public remains unconvinced. The 5,000-plus signatures on a petition opposing the proposal make that obvious enough.

The concerns are understandable. It is hard to see quite how one fire engine in Shipley and another four miles away via traffic-choked roads can provide the same cover to the town and its surroundings as two Shipley-based appliances. However, the Fire Authority is apparently convinced that it can. Its problem now is passing that conviction on to the people whose taxes fund the service.

It is only right that the Fire Authority should have responded positively to demands by Shipley councillors for a public meeting in the town to discuss concerns. The 5,000 signatures represent a huge amount of anxiety, with feelings running high. Schools, businesses, heritage sites, householders, as well as the Shipley firefighters themselves...all are coming forward to express their unhappiness with the plan.

One of the latest, the chairman of governors at High Crags Primary School, has said that he and his fellow governors "believe the safety of our school would be at risk in the event of a fire" and urges that the decision to reduce cover be reconsidered.

In view the level of worry, it is important that the public meeting is a two-way discussion rather than merely an opportunity for the authority to state its case. It needs to acknowledge the fears and listen as well as explain.