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Firefighters from the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) take part in the Cuts Leave Scars rally outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, October 26, 2023
MODEST increases to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) funding “won’t touch the sides” after years of cuts, the FBU warned today.
The latest Scottish government Budget — which passed its final Holyrood hurdle on Tuesday — included an increase in cash for SFRS from its £393.4 million settlement in 2024-25 to £412.2m in the coming year.
The FBU however warned that this increase will be wiped out by inflation and falls well short of what is needed in a service which has lost 1,200 firefighter posts in 13 years and increasingly operates from “crumbling buildings.”
The FBU is demanding 52 weeks of full pay for women firefighters, highlighting the unique health risks they face — and the continuing need to recruit and retain more women if policies like this are still not in place, writes SEONA HART
