The Fire Brigades Union fears funding for fire authorities, including Wiltshire, could be reduced to help pay for the empty regional fire control room in Taunton.

The Coalition Government cancelled the controversial regional fire control centre – along with eight other regional control rooms – in December because the computer system could not be delivered to an acceptable time frame.

But the Government is paying £5,000 a day for the Taunton centre as the previous Labour Government signed leases of up to 25 years on the centres.

Now the Government is consulting on the future of the regional control rooms and is giving fire authorities first refusal on using them.

Fire Minister Bob Neill says in the consultation document: “Now that the project has been cancelled, the Department must continue to underwrite the cost of the control centre leases.

“This will reduce the overall amount of funding that will be available for fire and rescue authorities to improve their control services unless these buildings become part of the authorities’ plans or other users can be found.

“In terms of collaboration, one authority may choose to provide the service on behalf of an additional one or more or a collection of authorities could choose to share services through the establishment of a jointly owned hub.”

Brigadier Robert Hall, chairman of Wiltshire and Swindon Fire Authority, said the fire authority had not paid any money to the regional fire control room and had no intention of using it.

Wiltshire has its own joint emergency control room in Devizes shared by fire operators, ambulance and police.

John Drake, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said: “If fire authorities don’t go with collaboration, which is the Government’s preferred option, they could end up paying for it anyway which seems wrong.”