Glasgow (Cowcaddens, Maryhill, Springburn, Yorkhill, Govan)

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is carrying out a Service Delivery Review to look at ways of reshaping and modernising the organisation. The primary aim is to ensure that resources – staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland. 

During summer 2025, SFRS consulted on a series of changes involving more than 30 fire stations across Scotland. In Glasgow, this included two options for change involving five fire stations including Cowcaddens, Govan, Springburn, Yorkhill and Maryhill.

In June 2026, a suite of recommendations were presented to the SFRS Board for decision, informed by feedback from communities, staff and stakeholders alongside operational, financial and equality evidence. 

The following change was approved for implementation in Glasgow: 

• Proceed to rebuild Cowcaddens on the adjacent Maitland Street site. Reinstate the second wholetime pumping appliance that was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND
• Close Yorkhill which has one wholetime pumping appliance based there; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Govan from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023; AND
• Reduce the number of wholetime pumping appliances based at Springburn from two to one; AND
• Reinstate the second wholetime appliance at Maryhill that was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.

The proposed changes were put forward as part of a 12-week public consultation between June and September 2025. Engagement activity included public meetings and drop-in sessions across affected communities, attended by more than 800 people across Scotland, alongside a public survey which generated more than 3,600 responses. 

 In Glasgow, this included: 

• Two public meetings were held in Yorkhill on 16 July with 13 attendees (6 and 7)
• Two public meetings were held in Cowcaddens on 17 July with 31 attendees (20 and 11)
• One public meeting was held in Springburn on 30 July with 9 attendees
• One public meeting was held in Govan on 31 July with 14 attendees

The concentration of resources in and around Glasgow city centre represents the highest geographical density of stations and wholetime appliances anywhere in Scotland.

Resources across Glasgow need to be rebalanced to meet demand.

Resources include five community fire stations and nine wholetime appliances, which represents an over-provision compared to other large urban areas of Scotland.

Three appliances were temporarily withdrawn within the Glasgow local authority area in September 2023. This included the second appliances at Govan, Cowcaddens and Maryhill. The withdrawal from Govan will be made permanent and the other two will be reinstated as part of a suite of changes to where resources are based in the city.

Pros

• Rebalance of resources across Glasgow city.
• Investment in a new modern facility in Cowcaddens.
• Staff to be relocated or transferred to where they are needed most.
• Reinstatement of a second appliances at Maryhill and Cowcaddens, which were temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.
• Makes permanent an equivalent of the essential saving achieved by the temporary wholetime pump withdrawals in 2023 from Cowcaddens, Govan and Maryhill.
• Potential capital receipt from sale of the Yorkhill site.

Cons

• Increase in first appliance response times in the Yorkhill area.
• Increase in second appliance response times in Govan and Springburn areas.