IF the financial situation facing local government demands that our fire services must be cut back – and I am not at all convinced that taxpayers will agree with that proposal – it would be nice to see the Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority lead the way by pruning some, if not all of its 25 members, who annually claim in excess of £50,000 in various expenses.

This extra layer of bureaucracy between the fire chief and the council is typical of the way in which our public services are run, and when times get tough, it is usually the foot soldiers who suffer, and almost never the bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, if the bureaucrats have their way this time, it will not only be firemen and women who will suffer, it will be the people who wait longer for a fire crew to answer an emergency, and who see their house insurance costs rise, as insurance companies increase premiums in line with the reduced capabilities of the service.

In any public consultation on the matter, I believe that the fire chief, rather than 25 bureaucrats, should explain how current standards of service will be maintained if cuts are made.

Without that assurance, and even if a little slack has been identified in the system, I believe that some things are worth paying for, when professionals are helping us in our hour of need.

GRAHAM CARPENTER, Oldfields Close, Leominster.