Fire service makes £1.1m cuts but still in deficit

Despite making savings of £1.1m a regional fire authority still faces growing financial pressure.

Hampshire and the Isle of Wight's Fire Authority (HIWFRA) says the service will need to dip into its cash reserves to balance the annual budget for 2025-26, even though it has spent less than expected.

HIWFRA's chief financial officer Rob Sarfas says it is in a "better position" than originally predicted but the authority's chief fire officer has renewed calls for government support, warning that current funding cannot sustain essential services.

The government says it is supporting "our dedicated firefighters" nationwide with a further £69.1m increase in funding this year.

At a HIWFRA meeting on Tuesday, Mr Sarfas, said: "The headline position at the end of Quarter One suggests that instead of having to draw £1.8 million from the Budget Equalisation Reserve, the figure is more in the region of £700,000.

"We need to take money out of reserves on a one-off basis, but we were in a better position than when we set the budget back in February."

In August, the authority agreed to lobby Hampshire's MPs and the fire minister, Alex Norris MP, for additional funding.

The new chief fire officer, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton said: "I'm calling on the government and the Fire Minister to support us in considering the funding that we need to meet our risks."

According to Rhydian Vaughan, the chairman of the HIWFRA, MPs from Portsmouth, Southampton, and Basingstoke and Dean have written to the government.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "We understand the challenges that fire services are facing and we are determined to deliver better public services through our plan for change.

"To support our dedicated firefighters who work tirelessly to keep communities safe, standalone fire and rescue authorities will receive an increase of almost £70m from the previous year – including an extra £3.4m for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority.

"We continue to work closely with the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need."