North Yorkshire fire service needs £25m investment, union says

North Yorkshire's fire service needs to replace out-of-date buildings, vehicles and equipment

A fire service's finances have left it "struggling to buy the basics" and in need of a £25m loan, a union has said.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue needs "significant investment" to replace out-of-date buildings, vehicles and equipment, a meeting this week heard.

It would need cash equal to 70% of its annual budget, said the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), in a call for more funds.

The Home Office said it had worked with fire services to ensure they had "adequate resources".

"The government has left North Yorkshire fire and rescue service in a horrendous position," FBU North Yorkshire secretary Steve Howley said.

"The fire and rescue service is now struggling to buy the basics needed for our firefighters to protect their communities, and struggling to invest in its dilapidated buildings."

A meeting of the Police, Fire and Crime Panel on 7 February approved a rise in council tax for the fire service of 1.98% for 2022/23 - an increase of £1.47 for a Band D property.

In her report to the meeting, the county's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe said the government settlement meant the rise in core spending power for North Yorkshire was the third-lowest increase in the country and she would continue to call for "fairer funding" from government.

'Barrel of a gun'

The panel has previously been told the service required £31.3m over five years to fund capital projects such as replacing vehicles, buildings and equipment.

To fund that level of investment it would need to borrow about £25m.

The FBU said the government needed to fund the fire service appropriately, to ensure firefighters could do their jobs.

"The firefighters of North Yorkshire are staring down the barrel of a gun, either cut firefighter jobs to pay for basic provisions or fail to have adequate facilities or equipment," Mr Howley said.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "In December, the Department for Levelling up published proposals which mean North Yorkshire PFCC will have £33.4m in 2022/23, up 4.1% from last year," they added.