Financial sustainability of fire and rescue services inquiry
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“The incidents of fires and related casualties have been on a long-term downward trend. As has funding for fire and rescue authorities, which has fallen significantly between 2010–11 and 2015–16 leading to reductions to numbers of firefighters and prevention and protection activities. Concerns have been raised that capacity to respond to major incidents might be compromised by further funding reductions. A number of authorities anticipate that further savings will only be possible via further cuts in the numbers of firefighters. If funding reductions were to continue in future years, the sector would be faced with twin challenges: to implement new cost-reduction measures, and to manage increased risks. This is compounded by the limited ability of the Department for Communities and Local Government to assure Parliament on the standards of fire and rescue authorities as, unlike in other emergency services, there is no external inspection regime and DCLG relies on local scrutiny and authorities to self-certify. This inquiry examines the impact of funding reductions on the effectiveness of fire and rescue services.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
While fire and rescue authorities have done well to absorb funding reductions since 2010, risks to their financial and service sustainability could increase given the Government’s decision to implement further funding reductions from 2016–17. The Department for Communities and Local Government has not had a strong understanding of the capacity of individual fire authorities to absorb further reductions through efficiency savings, or of the impact of reducing fire prevention work. By not providing more active support and guidance, the Department exacerbated the risk that fire authorities would miss opportunities to improve value for money—for instance, through greater collaboration or mergers—and that the projects they do implement may not represent best practice. There are weaknesses in the local scrutiny by fire authorities which raise concerns about their operational performance and safeguarding value for money; this is more serious because of the lack of an external inspectorate, unlike in other emergency services. Weaknesses in the local system of oversight also led to gaps in the Department’s statutory assurance to Parliament that all authorities are maintaining both required performance standards and value for money. From January 2016 responsibility for fire and rescue has been transferred to the Home Office.
What the government said
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 3 November 2015 to 8 September 2016.
- Oral evidence 26 Nov 2015
- Report 17 Feb 2016
- Correspondence 8 Sep 2016
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 23rd Report - Financial sustainability of fire and rescue services ↗ on parliament.uk.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 26 Nov 2015No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗