Luke met with Chief Fire Officer Ian Hayton from Cleveland Fire Brigade, who will soon be retiring after decades of service, as well as Peter Rickard, who will be taking over as the new Cleveland CFO in the coming weeks.

Luke commented that Ian and Peter spoke passionately about their retained firefighters across East Cleveland, in particular in Loftus, which has one of the best retained fire stations in the country.

Luke said: “We spoke about the vital services they provide to our local areas, how cuts under the previous Government have affected work for the fire services and how they can work together in future to ensure that our communities are safe. I wish Ian all the best as he prepares for a well-earned retirement, and Peter the best of luck as he continues in his new role.”