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Fire Chiefs have welcomed new government measures that could see all standalone fire and rescue authorities receive funding increases at least in line with inflation, provided they raise council tax precepts by the permitted £5.
The shift follows months of pressure from the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and services across England, who warned earlier proposals risked delivering real-terms cuts.
In August, the NFCC cautioned that planned changes to grant funding could result in more than £100m in real-terms reductions over three years, exacerbated by a population-based formula under the Fair Funding Review 2.0. The Council argued the approach would create significant disparities, rewarding areas with rapid population growth while leaving slower-growing regions facing shortfalls despite high-risk environments, including chemical sites, tower blocks and deprived communities.
Responding to these concerns, the Government’s Local Government Finance Policy Statement for 2026–29 introduces a series of measures: a £5 council tax flexibility for standalone authorities; a core spending power floor guaranteeing inflation-level increases for those that apply it; a full review of the fire funding formula; and £2.1m in transitional support for services affected by governance changes. NFCC analysis indicates that, if authorities fully use the precept flexibility, funding will broadly keep pace with inflation, though the position remains uncertain for county council services.
The NFCC also welcomed the move to outline a three-year funding framework, saying longer-term certainty will ease pressure on local planning after years of short-term settlements. NFCC Chair Phil Garrigan said the Government’s shift showed it had “listened to our concerns” and recognised the need to stabilise fire and rescue funding, though he warned that deeper issues stemming from a decade of underinvestment remain unresolved.
Pressures on services continue to mount. Government data shows fire and rescue services in England responded to 628,764 incidents in the year to June 2025—a 25 per cent rise in ten years—while firefighter numbers have fallen by the same proportion since 2008, equivalent to a loss of 11,000 wholetime firefighters. Fire Chiefs say services stand ready to confront growing challenges, from climate-related emergencies to emerging technology risks, but argue that sustained investment is essential to maintain public safety.
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