Investment essential for protecting public safety, say Fire Chiefs

Responding to the final 2025/26 Local Government Finance Settlement, National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) Chair, Mark Hardingham, said:

“As the professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service we are compelled to express our disappointment with this year’s financial settlement and the impact that it will have on fire and rescue services.

“We know that the current economic climate presents significant challenges, and we welcome the Government’s willingness to give the sector some flexibility with the increase in the Council Tax Precept. However, the loss of government grant and the increase in the employer’s national insurance contribution leaves a below-inflation increase in spending power for some fire and rescue services which means they are facing real term cuts – something we had been strenuously trying to avoid.

“The pressures on fire and rescue services’ budgets are increasing significantly, with the essential response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendations and the demands posed by new and emerging risks, including being on the frontline response to climate change related extreme weather events, such as flooding, storms and wildfires, the challenges of incidents involving new and emerging technology, and regulating fire safety in an increasingly complex built environment further stretching our depleted resources.

“This evolving picture of risk comes against the backdrop of operating with significantly reduced resources that impacts upon the ability of fire and rescue services to keep communities safe. Over the last 17 years, we have seen a 25% reduction in the number of firefighters, compounded by the fact that in the last 10 years, the number of incidents that firefighters have responded to has increased by 18%.

“The capacity to invest in the future and upgrade what, for some, are dilapidated fire stations is also undermined by the absence of any capital funding for fire and rescue services for yet another year – something we had hoped this settlement would address. That will severely restrict the ability of fire services to invest in essential infrastructure, upgrade facilities to accommodate advancements in decontamination procedures, improve firefighter training facilities, recruit a diverse workforce and support efforts to meet net zero targets.

“The upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review presents another opportunity to address these concerns. Our message is simple – without reversing years of under-investment in the sector, public safety is at risk”.

ENDS

For further information, please contact: communications@nfcc.org.uk

Notes to editors

• Three grants have been removed entirely – Rural Services Delivery Grant, Services Grant, Funding Guarantee. This has removed £31m from those services receiving those grants, which is equivalent to around 516 firefighter wholetime equivalent (WTE) posts.