Police and fire commissioner defends kicking Stone community groups out of town's fire station

University of the Third Age (U3A) had been holding meetings at Stone Fire Station, in The Fillybrooks, in Stone,  which has featured a community room for such activities since opening nine years ago.

But the room is no longer available to community groups due to the creation of a new police post at the fire station. Mr Adams, the commissioner for the police and fire services, was quizzed about the decision at a meeting of the Staffordshire police, fire and crime panel.

He said that space at fire stations could only be offered to organisations if it did not affect service delivery, adding that U3A was being offered support to find alternative premises. U3A, which has over 900 members in Stone, offers education and activities to pensioners.

Mr Adams said: “They’re a smashing organisation and a lot of people are involved with them. But I’m afraid for me the stations are open to the community where possible and when it doesn’t compromise operational delivery.

“The benefits of the shared police post at that particular fire station are going to be considerable for the local community. It’s a much better location for the police to respond to incidents from.”

Mr Adams told the panel that U3A had been told about the plans for Stone Fire Station 18 months ago and were offered assistance in identifying alternative locations. He said the commissioner’s office had offered similar help to groups displaced from Hanley Fire Station when Staffordshire Police moved into the facility in 2021.

He added: “My ambition is that nobody is left with nowhere to go. It’s regrettable that it won’t necessarily be the place it was before. But I’m reasonably comfortable with that. I think if I went to the public and said is this a community facility, or a fire and police station, the majority are going to be with me and say there should be every opportunity for the community, but not at the expense of our community safety delivery.”

Panel chairman Councillor Bernard Peters asked Mr Adams to do everything he could to help the affected groups. 

“Anything you could do to accommodate the concerns that have been raised in Stone would be much appreciated, " Councillor Peters said.

Stone councillor Jill Hood raised concerns about the loss of the community room at the fire station at a recent county council meeting. She said that the £45 million private finance initiative scheme which saw several fire stations built a decade ago required the provision of community facilities.