Luton council 'dumbfounded' by plan to close ambulance 999 centre

The East of England Ambulance Service Trust is considering a proposal to shut its Hammond Road emergency operations centre in Bedford, according to a motion to the local authority.

These centres are responsible for receiving and triaging 999 calls from the public and other emergency services, said the motion. “They provide critical advice and dispatch ambulance services to scenes as needed, playing a vital role in saving lives.”

A motion from Labour Beech Hill councillor and deputy council leader Javed Hussain was presented to a full Luton Borough Council meeting.

It stated: “This council is deeply concerned that this proposed closure could negatively impact ambulance response times for service users in Luton and the surrounding areas.

“Factors resulting include the loss of critical time-saving local knowledge as calls would be handled by dispatch centres in Chelmsford and Norwich.

“It would place a strain on local ambulance services, with resources diverted to serve Essex and Cambridgeshire more often, reducing the availability of ambulances in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, which could result in longer response times locally.

“Up to 200 local staff members could be made redundant, many of whom have dedicated more than 20 years of service to the trust. And paramedics unable to work on the front line because of pregnancy or long-term illness would lose local redeployment opportunities, undermining job security and creating a local staff shortage.”

The motion added: “This council urges the trust to reconsider and urgently re-evaluate the closure plan, and show measures exist to prevent any decline in service standards.

“A transparent, fully-costed business plan should be presented, including an analysis of alternative solutions, such as identifying suitable nearby office spaces. And it calls for a commitment to upgrading the centre’s IT systems to meet current operational needs, improving its capacity and functionality.

“LBC chief executive is asked to write to the trust chief executive officer Neill Moloney formally conveying this motion, the council’s concerns and a request for an urgent meeting to discuss alternatives.”

Liberal Democrat Barnfield councillor David Franks asked why the issue hasn’t been considered by the council’s scrutiny process, saying: “Nothing of this closure was even mentioned when the ambulance service spoke at our scrutiny health review group recently.

“It’s been to the appropriate Bedford borough scrutiny committee. Was this an accident that it didn’t go to scrutiny, or was it a deliberate decision not to send it there?”

Councillor Hussain replied: “We’re dumbfounded, as we’re a statutory consultee, so why weren’t we told?

“We’re not happy with this, which led to this motion. We’ll ask for answers why something this important didn’t come to Luton. It should have done.”

Labour Challney councillor and executive portfolio holder for public health and integration Khtija Malik added: “There’s a timeline around this and it’s going to the health and wellbeing board.

“A full consultation hasn’t taken place and I believe this will follow the correct process through the relevant scrutiny before any decision is made.”