Fire training a burning issue for city leader

CITY leader Jenny Dawe has challenged Scottish Ministers to explain why funding is unlikely to be available for a new fire officer training centre at Newbridge.

Community Safety Minister Fergus Ewing has issued a strongly worded letter to councillors, warning of the risk of "no Government capital funding" for the development, meaning "frontline services throughout the Lothian and Borders area will suffer a lack of investment over several years".

Instead of providing funding for the £8 million centre, the Government has proposed Lothian and Borders service shares the national fire training college at Gullane.

But local fire chiefs are pressing ahead with building the training centre at Newbridge.

During a full council meeting, Labour's Eric Barry rounded on Mr Ewing's "bullying tactics".

Councillor Dawe admitted: "It would be much better if we did get the money. If it is available for one facility, why can't it be made available for another?"