Funding for Fire Services to be Cut by 25 Per Cent | Unless we Stop It Happening!

Laurie Heselden, Regional Policy and Campaigns Officer TUC

The Government is seeking to implement what it is calling “a fairer funding settlement across Fire and Rescue Services” for the period 2013 – 17. In the Spending Review 2010 the government reduced the formula grant funding for Fire and Rescue Authorities by 5.8 per cent in 2010-11 and a further 0.7 per cent in 2012-13. It intends to implement very much larger reductions in 2013-14 and the three subsequent years, in total, making a 25 per cent reduction in funding. That is not ‘fair funding’, it is a massive cut and it will cost lives.

The cuts are not distributed equally. Metropolitan Authorities have had an above average cut in grant funding. Reportedly, Merseyside will have a cut of 30 per cent in 2012-13 and 2013-14 alone.

Government funding for Fire Services

 

Total Government Funding £m	2011/12 Actual	2012/13 Actual	2013/14 Projected from National Total	2014/15 Projected from National Total	2015/16 Projected	2016/17 Projected
All Fire Authorities	995.6	988.6	899.0	850.0	799.0	751.0
Essex Fire Authority	32.3	33.1	30.1	28.5	26.8	25.1

 

The cuts will impact differentially across the SERTUC region but no county or city will escape. As an example, we have shown the projected budget cuts for the Fire Service in Essex in the table above. You need to be worried about where you live, where you work and where you and your family go to public buildings, such as schools and hospitals.

In London Boris Johnson wants to reduce the number of fire fighters by 520, to lose 18 fire-engines and to close 12 fire stations in 2013-2014. We have 12 weeks to express our opposition and mobilise against these cuts. See London FBU Press Release attached.

The general case against cuts to the Fire and Rescue Services can be found athttp://www.fbu.org.uk/?page_id=321

To find out what is happening specifically where you live or work do some quick research, or contact the FBU; see contact details below.

Intertwined with the cuts is a programme of privatisation. You can sign an on-line petition against privatisation in the Fire Service organised by 38 Degrees at http://www.fbu.org.uk/

These proposed cuts are deeply unpopular with the public, and communities, the FBU and the whole trade union movement can align to stop these cuts and make the government pay the political price for its savage and reckless intentions.

Contact Information for FBU Regional Offices

East of England – Region 9 office (Beds, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Suffolk)
013 7652 1521

Secretary:  Jamie Wyatt [email protected]

28 Atlantic Square, Station Road, Witham, Essex CM8 2TL

London – Region 10 office
02073593638

Secretary : Paul Embery [email protected]

John Horner Mews, Off Frome St, Islington, London N1 8PB

http://www.london.fbu.org.uk/

South East – Region 11 office (East Sussex, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex)
01273 309762

Secretary: Danni Armstrong [email protected]

Unit 11, Hunns Mere Way, Woodingdean, Brighton BN2 6AH

Southern – Region 12 office (Berksshire, Bucks, Hants, IoW, Oxfordshire)
01296 482 297

Secretary: Ricky Matthews [email protected]

Merlin Centre, Unit L, Gatehouse Close, Aylesbury HP19 8DP

http://www.fbur12.org.uk/

 

This entry was posted on February 23, 2013 at 17:10 and is filed under Front page, In the news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.