FIREFIGHTERS have warned that government cuts to fire and rescue services will put lives at risk in England.

Fire Brigades Union general secretary Steve Wright warned that “austerity under a Labour government is still austerity,” pushing back against a real-terms cut to services across England.

“Next time there is a fire, a flood, or an extreme weather event, the public will ask why their fire service is unable to respond effectively,” Mr Wright said.

“The Fire Brigades Union urges the government to think again and deliver the investment we need to keep people safe.”

After 15 years of austerity, the FBU says one in five firefighter jobs has been scrapped and the union is campaigning for a significant increase to fund public safety. 

Firefighters are also calling for a decent pay rise after real terms cuts since 2010. 

“We are also clear that we must see substantial real terms improvement in pay, following 15 years of falling wages,” Mr Wright said.

“It’s time for Keir Starmer to go after the super rich and big business, rather than asking workers and the public to stomach more cuts to vital front-line services.

“This funding settlement is a real-terms cut to fire-and-rescue services across England. Even in cash terms, it will leave central government funding lower than it was a decade ago.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published its local government settlement on February 3, revealing the amount of central funding allocated to services in England from April 2025.

Central funding in England will increase by just 1.4 per cent on average, with CPI inflation running at around 2.5 per cent.

Mr Wright added: “These cuts put lives at risk. We have lost one in five firefighter jobs since 2010, and response times are the worst they’ve ever been. Labour was elected promising change.

“There is already a postcode lottery on fire cover, and a lack of central government funding will make fragmentation worse.

“In some areas, local authorities will raise council tax to cover the shortfall. In others, they may choose to cut the fire service even more.”

A government spokesperson said: “We will fix the foundations of local government while protecting local taxpayers from excessive council tax increases.

“We are giving a 6.8 per cent cash terms increase in councils’ core spending power compared with 2024-25 and giving fire and rescue authorities the option to increase by £5.”