Ministers have refused to intervene in plans to cut the number of night-time fire engines in the West Midlands by a quarter.
The fire authority is under no obligation to consult them, Ministers said.
But MP Jim Cunningham (Lab Coventry South) said he wanted central government to ensure the reforms would not put lives at risk before they went ahead.
West Midlands Fire Authority is planning to cut the number of fire engines available at night across the force area from 62 to 47. It will also axe 70 brigade jobs, saving £900,000 a year.
The proposals have been condemned by the Fire Brigades Union as "preposterous".
And in a recent House of Commons debate, MPs from across the West Midlands warned that lives could be put at risk.
Mr Cunningham asked the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister how much consultation there had been with central government.
But in a House of Commons statement, Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford said there had been none at all.
He said the proposals had gone out for consultation with local residents and this was all that was required.
"There is no requirement or expectation for consultation with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister," he said.
Mr Cunningham said: "We expected that Ministers would not directly intervene.
"But the real question is what consultation he has had with the fire authority. I would have thought the Minister would have been informed somewhere along the line."
West Midlands Fire Authority put the proposals, called the integrated risk management action plan, out for consultation with residents in November and is expected to announce the results next month.
MP Steve McCabe (Lab Hall Green) has described the plans as "a step into the unknown".
