Please remember the Fire Station Survey!

Last month we published a request for local residents to support the crew at Hodnet Fire Station by completing the on-line survey on the Shropshire council’s website.
First a BIG thank you to those who have done so. From the website’s statistics we know that over 40 of you have clicked on the link to the survey – though we cannot tell how many of you have completed it.
This is to remind those of you who haven’t yet done this that the closing date for the survey is 31st December, which means that with the holidays there are very few days left for you to so.
Here are the links to the survey and our previous reports:

Since our last report it has been good to hear that the local MP, Rt. Hon Owen Paterson has made known his concerns about the threat to close four rural fire stations, including Hodnet. A report carried on the MP’s website and a similar one in the Shropshire Star and Market Drayton Advertiser, tell of a meeting between 4 MPs, including Owen, and the Minister with responsibility for fire and rescue services, Brandon Lewis MP. The MP’s were accompanied by Shropshire’s Chief Fire Officer John Redmond.
According to the Shropshire Star, at a private meeting with local parish councillors and fire service officials at Prees Fire Station last month, Mr Paterson said:

The thing that’s really bad about this is that it will be a major degradation on the service all around Shropshire. These four stations cannot be shut, let’s be clear about that.

Beside completing the survey, it would be good if Hodnet residents contacted Owen to thank him for his support and to stress how important it is that Hodnet and the three other stations are kept open. You can email him from this page on his website.