AN SNP minister’s refusal to discuss Scottish Fire Service cuts was branded “outrageous” today by Labour’s Alex Rowley.

Victims and Community Safety Minister Siobhan Brown told Fife MSPs that she will not discuss the withdrawal of jobs and fire engines from Methil, Dunfermline and Glenrothes and a vehicle for dealing with incidents at height from Kirkcaldy, describing them as “operational decisions” for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).

Both the minister and the SFRS have described the nationwide cuts to capability as “temporary” and the minister told parliament in June that there was “no crisis” in funding at the service despite SFRS seeking to save £11 million this year and £36m in the following four years.

Mr Rowley said: “It is outrageous for the minister to refuse to meet Fife MSPs to discuss these concerns. 

“Siobhan Brown is claiming that cuts to services are an ‘operational matter’ for the SFRS management but the reality is we are only in this position because of the year-on-year real terms budget cuts imposed on the fire service by the Scottish government, so the buck stops with her.”

FBU Scottish secretary John McKenzie said: “The SFRS is in crisis because of repeated below-inflation budget settlements from the Scottish government.

“The withdrawal of appliances at these stations in Fife is the latest in a long line of cuts that are undermining our members’ ability to keep communities and businesses safe.

“We cannot go on like this, our members will not sit back and watch the fire service being dismantled.

“We will take our campaign across the country and directly to the politicians who are responsible for this mess.”