CAMPAIGNERS fighting the possible closure of Porlock fire station were this week visiting houses in the village to help residents fill in the official consultation form which is claimed to be “like doing a GCSE exam”.

“We are making house visits and holding drop-ins because so many elderly people are overcome by the mass of paperwork and simply give up on filling it in,” said Porlock district councillor Andy Milne, lead member of the campaign’s steering group.

“It’s vital that they do because despite all other protests, only the contents of the consultation forms will be considered by the fire authority when making their decision on the fate of the fire station on November 8.”

Cllr Milne added: “We now have 3,800 signatures on our petition but the number of returned petitions from the whole of Somerset and Devon is a mere 1,200. That just shows how difficult the form is to complete.”

All consultation forms must be returned to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service by September 20 and campaigners are urging anyone who needs help to visit the next drop-in at the Porlock Recreation Ground from 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday (September 3).

Cllr Milne said many people had complained that most of the questions were not relevant to Porlock: “I’ve been told it’s like doing a GCSE exam.

“You have to read the consultation guide, which can take about half an hour, and do cross-referencing the whole time to understand what the questions are all about.

“It’s ridiculous that you should have to sit down with someone to help them through filling in a form. No wonder people are giving up in despair.”

Minehead mayor, Cllr Sandra Slade, who attended a closure protest in the town last Thursday, this week backed the Porlock campaigners’ criticism of the consultation form.

“There’s a whacking great document you need to read in order to fill it in,” she said.

“I have looked at the Government’s guidelines in holding public consultations and it says they should take into account the demographics of the people being consulted.

“Porlock and Minehead predominantly contain older people who would find it difficult to fill in a complicated form like this one and I think there are at least three areas in which the Porlock consultation does not stick to the rules.”

Cllr Slade added: “One of my worries is that, when you look at the consultation document, all the options include closing Porlock fire station. To my mind that means they have decided to close it whether we like it or not.

“But I believe this can be changed if sufficient public opinion is brought to bear.”