Fire chiefs have expressed concerns about the impact on fire and rescue services of the cuts in local government grants announced this week.
While acknowledging that public spending cuts were inevitable to tackle the country’s budget deficit, Peter Holland, president of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA), said a 25% cut over four years would have a direct impact on frontline services.
"This settlement is going to challenge many chief fire officers in the country. There is no doubt that a 25% cut over four years is going to mean a direct impact on the frontline, given that almost 80% of budgets are spent on operational service delivery.
Mr Holland also warned that the cumulative impact of public sector cuts have not been fully assessed. “If the overall resources available to those most vulnerable are to be cut dramatically then this will inevitably increase risk in our communities. The fire and rescue service has to be ready to respond to any and all risks – student protests, extreme weather, terrorism threats – all of which we have seen played out on our TV screens in the last few weeks.”
CFOA is also concerned there is no information on the scale of cuts for the third and fourth years of the spending review period. “Careful advance planning and effective phasing is needed if radical changes in our operational response is to be as effective as possible both locally and nationally," said Mr Holland. "Chief officers need early notification of the cuts that are coming in the last two years to inform their planning assumptions and Integrated Risk Management Plans. Waiting till December 2012 is just too late.”
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