POLICE and fire service staff could share office buildings under new plans put forward for “blue light” services in the county.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, part of Oxfordshire County Council, proposed the move as a fresh way to save cash.

Last year it planned to make £700,000 of savings up to 2018 and in February this year it was budgeted to make an extra £908,000 of savings.

Thames Valley Police also faces having to make savings of almost £22 million by 2018.

And in a report to deputy council leader Rodney Rose, chief fire officer Dave Etheridge said meetings had been held with senior police officials about the two services sharing buildings.

The proposal could see the fire service and police force move into existing buildings or new ones built as “multi-agency hubs”.

As reported in the Oxford Mail earlier this year, one such building is planned in Carterton – where fire crews are to share a base with ambulance and police staff.

But council deputy leader Mr Rose, whose responsibilities include the fire service, confirmed the new proposals would see a wider agreement reached between the fire and police services.

He said both organisations were reviewing their properties and would be looking to share space where possible if it saved money.

Mr Rose said: “We should be looking at where we can co-locate. An example is what we are doing in Carterton. We also need to ask: do we need a new building or can we actually use one that is there already?”

The move has been backed by police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld. He said: “Working effectively with partner organisations plays a significant part in improving performance and decreasing costs.”

At a meeting on Monday, Mr Rose will be asked to approve negotiations to allow the memorandum of understanding to be drawn up.

He will also be asked to approve another memorandum, which commits the fire service to closer working with its partners in the Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS).

Deputy chief fire officer Nathan Travis said no specific savings had been identified yet, but pointed to planned savings of £25m through the TVFCS over the next five years.

“There is the potential to save millions of pounds,” he added.

The meeting will be at 10am in County Hall, New Road, Oxford.