SOUTH Yorkshire's cash strapped fire service is spending up to £45,000 every month to guard against the possibility of industrial action which may never happen, the Chronicle has learned.
Now brigade bosses are looking for ways to "rein in" that spending but say they must have the capacity to provide emergency cover if more industrial action is announced.
The service's bill for coping with a national dispute between the government and the Fire Brigades Union over pension arrangements has already reached £1.8m, though the service has clawed back around £500,000 in firefighters' salary payments which have been withheld during periods of strike action.
South Yorkshire Fire Service is caught in the middle because they have a legal duty to provide fire cover even though they play no part in negotiating the pensions deal.
It means they have to keep a squad of 'contingency' firefighters trained and ready to step into action should the FBU declare further industrial action.
** The full story is in the Barnsley Chronicle newspaper, dated July 17. **
