Very wise words from jayteeto.
The magic sentence seems to me to be, "A good start would be to avoid knee jerk reactions and get aviation experts in to do the job."
Units around the country have already been striving to get more borderless/nearest ac type agreements set up. All that this NPAS descision has done is halt any progress, and thrown the proverbial bull into the china shop. Lets not forget that those damages need to be paid for, in this case new bases, contracts, lost investments, etc.
I'm sure that within not too long, CCAOU, WMAOU, EMAOU & NMAOU may have all come under the CMPG, or similar joint operating collective umbrella. The whole of the central UK would be covered, with savings made and operational effectiveness improved. I believe that similar arrangements have already been going on all over the country.
If earlier figures are correct, doesnt it seem sooo wrong to spend more money implementing a system to save money, than the amount of money you are trying to save.
Would you pay £16 for a '£15 off' voucher at the shops?