UK fire and rescue services are facing “real and significant cuts” to government grant funding that could severely undermine their ability to protect communities, the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) warned today.
The NFCC is urging the Government to safeguard fire funding in real terms and not rely on council tax increases to plug funding shortfalls. It says that even if all fire and rescue authorities raised their precept by the maximum £5 per year, this would not fully offset the cuts once inflation and pay pressures are taken into account.
Preliminary modelling commissioned by the NFCC shows the changes proposed in the Government’s Spending Review could result in a £102 million real-terms cut to standalone fire authority budgets over the next three years—equivalent to 1,500 fewer wholetime firefighter posts. Including London and county services, the impact could rise to 2,300 firefighters lost.
“This is about closing the gap between detection and decision, especially in domains where the threat is small, fast-moving and unpredictable,” said NFCC Chair Phil Garrigan. “Our mission is to help operators identify anomalous behaviour earlier, whether the goal is rescue or protection. This demo is a vital step toward deploying ZOE for real-world defence scenarios.”
The NFCC also warns that planned changes under the Fair Funding Review 2.0 would alter how money is allocated across fire services. Rather than reflecting local risk, the updated formula prioritises population size—meaning services in areas with slower population growth, but higher fire risk or deprivation, could face further reductions.
“Fire and rescue services cannot continue to be expected to deliver more with less,” Garrigan continued. “We are already seeing demand rising, risks evolving, and our remit expanding—from tackling climate change to increased blue light collaboration—all while firefighter numbers have fallen sharply.”
Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) shows that incident numbers rose to 600,185 in England last year, up 20% since 2014. Meanwhile, firefighter numbers have dropped by 25% since 2008, a reduction of 11,000 posts.
Fire chiefs also caution that reliance on local council tax increases to fill budget gaps is inconsistent and politically uncertain. In some regions, local political constraints may prevent precept increases, leaving services exposed to real-terms reductions or flat budgets despite rising demands.
“We can no longer just roll up our sleeves and get on with it,” Garrigan warned. “Our silence will put lives at risk. We cannot allow our fire and rescue service to become the forgotten emergency service.”
