Joe Anderson: Liverpool fire shows Tories need a reality check

You may have seen the news reports over the Christmas break of the devastating car park fire in the centre of Liverpool at our arena and conference centre.

A single vehicle triggered what even fire and building experts have described as a freak event, which saw hundreds of cars destroyed in the inferno. We are now left with the prospect of demolishing the building, such was the severity of the blaze.

While the bravery and professionalism of Merseyside fire and rescue service cannot be emphasised enough, the cuts to the service in recent years bear stating.

In 2010, we had 947 full-time fire fighters. Just five years of Tory austerity later and this figure had fallen to just 717 – a cut in numbers of a quarter.

Although massive strides have been made in recent years in building design and banning highly flammable materials, our fire service is the last resort when faced with the horror of a fire. But the reality in Liverpool – and across the country – is that we have fewer firefighters on the ground than ever before.

My point is that when services are needed most, they are less and less able to respond in the way that they once were. So it’s not just that austerity means cuts – it’s also the nature of those cuts that’s a problem.

The Tories have not ‘rolled back from the frontier of the state’ as Thatcher once bragged. They still expect public services to do everything they were doing prior to 2010 – and more besides.

What they have done is salami-slice our frontline. More to do, less to do it with.

This means that we still have people trying to cover all the various functions we are obliged by statute to provide, but with considerably fewer resources. We’re being set-up to fail.

Sometimes it doesn’t immediately show, however when services are stress-tested they simply cannot respond as they once could. All too often, they have been hollowed-out. Depleted. In some places this means fewer trading standards inspections. In others, less police patrols on the streets. When the NHS faces a winter flu crisis, the system cannot cope. In my example, fewer fire appliances sent to a car park fire than would have been the case five years ago.

Even the head of the army has warned about the effects cuts are having. General Nick Carter said the other week that frontline cuts have even “eroded” the ability to wage war. We need central government to take a reality check.

Public services – right across the board – face unprecedented challenges – even in providing the basics – and are in danger of failing the very public they are there to serve.

Voters recognises this and there will be no votes for Tory ministers in continuing to push ahead with austerity when even their own local services eventually fall over. Enough is enough.

Joe Anderson is mayor of Liverpool.