Staffordshire’s fire chief has warned the number of firefighters and stations may need to be cut if government funding does not increase.
Ben Adams, the county’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), said the “unpalatable” option would need to be considered despite a 5.85% rise in what residents pay for the service and £1m worth of savings planned over the next four years.
Mr Adams, who oversees the service’s budget, said the tax rise and savings were due to a £1m reduction in government funding and increase in employer National Insurance contributions.
The Home Office has been approached for a comment.
Presenting his budget plans to the police, fire and crime panel, Mr Adams said the fire service was not be looking to reduce operational staff to achieve its current savings target, but this could change if funding is further reduced in the government’s spending review later this year.
“Regrettably, having got ourselves into a tremendous position financially compared to a number of other services, having delivered savings of around £1 million in the last two or three years, this settlement from government is poor,” the Conservative PFCC said.
The extra £1.8m raised by increasing its part of the council tax was “largely going towards keeping the service where it is,” Mr Adams added.
Cannock councillor David Williams, a panel member, raised concerns about the impact of an increasing number of firefighter retirements and asked why there had not been a long-term plan to safeguard emergency responses.
Mr Adams insisted there had been a long-term plan based on expected levels of funding, but that the settlement for 2025/26 had come as a surprise.
The fire service’s ability to maintain firefighter numbers in the coming years would depend on the outcome of the spending review, he said.
Mr Adams is also planning to use £2.5m of reserves as part of his medium term budget plans.
The panel voted to approve the fire precept increase. But acting chair Gill Heesom said members had concerns over staffing levels.
