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Leaders from across the emergency services sector say that the Chancellor’s spending review has not gone far enough to support them to deliver the government’s agenda and reverse years of austerity, and it is not yet clear what the ‘record cash investment’ in the NHS means for the ambulance service.
In her first spending review announcement that will see a three year settlement for government departments, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told MPs that police would see a real terms increase 2.3% increase in funding. This comes after media reports that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was the last member of the Cabinet to agree a departmental settlement and after police chiefs wrote to the PM saying they were “deeply concerned” about the level of the settlement.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, National Police Chiefs’ Council chair reacted to the announcement. He said that the funding will cover little more than annual inflationary pay increases for officers and staff. “While we await further detail on allocation to individual forces, the amount falls far short of what is required to fund the Government’s ambitions and maintain our existing workforce.
“We fully support the Government’s drive to cut crime and grow officer numbers, but for these to succeed, investment in policing must live up to the ambition.”
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said it welcomed the increase in funding for police, but warned that the money would not be enough to deliver the government’s Safer Streets mission. Essex PCC Roger Hirst commented: “We are in a challenging fiscal environment, and I am concerned that, while it is a real terms increase, it is unlikely to fully fund the level of pay award the government is considering.” He cautioned that the additional burden would fall on council tax payers.
Police Federation England and Wales acting national chair, Tiff Lynch was much stronger in her response. She said that police pay had fallen over 20% in real terms since 2010, adding that the spending review should have been a turning point after 15 years of austerity. “This Chancellor hasn’t listened to police officers. She hasn’t listened to the Home Secretary. She hasn’t listened to the public’s concerns about community safety.”
Funding for fire and rescue services forms part of the local government funding pot and was not specifically mentioned in the spending review. Overall local authority funding is set to receive an average annual real terms increase of 3.1% over the three years of the spending review.
The Chair of the Local Government Association welcomed this multi-year local government funding settlement, saying that it is “essential for financial planning while efficiency and innovation continues across local government.” She reiterated that all councils will remain under severe financial pressure and, echoing the comments from PCC Roger Hirst, said many local authorities “will continue to have to increase council tax bills to try and protect services but still need to make further cutbacks.”
Marking the absence of references to fire and rescue in the announcement, National Fire Chiefs Council Chair, Phil Garrigan said: “Our financial position is uncertain, but we are committed to working with the Fire Minister and our hope is that fire and rescue services will be supported through the broader settlement for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government”.
Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright responded to the announcement, adding: “The fire service has been battered by nearly 15 years of Tory cuts that have left it ill equipped to tackle the impact of climate change like wildfires and flooding, as well as keeping the public safe day in and day-out.” He cautioned that the spending review should be the time to “permanently move on from austerity.”
Earlier this week, the government announced additional funds for urgent and emergency care as part of its new UEC plan and as part of this £450m injection of cash, ambulance services will see an additional 500 ambulances across the country by March 2026.
The Chancellor said in her statement to Parliament that there will be “An extra £29bn per year for the day to day running of our the health service.” Ambulance funding falls under the NHS and details of how that will affect trusts is unknown at the time of writing.
The full spending review document can be found here – Spending Review 2025.
