Following the release of the final finance settlement for local government, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) has reiterated that investment in fire and rescue services (FRSs) is “essential for protecting public safety”
In a statement published on 5 February 2025, 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.”
Sharing his concerns, Hardingham explained that FRSs in the UK had seen a 25% reduction in the number of firefighters over the last 17 years, with the number of incidents that firefighters have responded to increasing by 18% over the last 10 years.
“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,” Hardingham said.
On 3 February 2025, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Angela Rayner revealed that the final 2025/26 Settlement would grant councils in England access to more than £69 billion in funding, which she said was a 6.8% cash terms increase from the previous year. Social care authorities will see £3.7 billion in additional funding, while £60 million will be allocated to fund long-term improvements to the local government sector. There will also be a £600 million Recovery Grant to “help support places most in need”.
As reported by the International Fire and Safety Journal (IFSJ), with the reduction in government grants and increased employer national insurance contributions, some FRSs had been left with “a below-inflation increase in spending power”. This meant they were “facing real term cuts – something we had been strenuously trying to avoid”, Hardingham said.
He added: “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”.
You can view the NFCC’s full statement here.