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GOVERNMENT PLANS on the future funding of fire authorities are threatening to strip away £30m in grant aid from metropolitan brigades, warns West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority.
In a joint letter to West Yorkshire’s 23 MPs, councillor Philip Booth, chair of the fire and rescue authority, and chief fire officer Phil Toase criticise Government plans to overhaul the Formula Grant Distribution System, which covers local authority finance settlements.
The plans, set out in a Communities and Local Government consultation paper, apply to fire author-ities and other local authorities in England that receive formula grant.
Mr Booth and Mr Toase argue that the proposals would penalise the most efficient fire authorities and move support away from the most deprived communities. They claim that metro-politan brigades – which represent the ‘heart and soul’ of the fire service, serving nearly 40% of the population – would stand
to lose out the most. For instance, West Yorkshire would lose up to £1.3m.
‘We serve the most vulner-able and deprived of our inner city communities who are patently at greatest risk from fire, and our specialist skills and knowledge also provide the backbone for national resilience,’ says the letter. ‘Over 60% of all fire service efficiencies have been led by the metropolitan authorities, and our fire prevention work is saving some £65m a year.’
The letter stresses that there should be no changes in the grant formula until a more fundamental review can be undertaken.
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