Jim Cunningham
Main Page: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)(11 years, 6 months ago)
Commons Chamber4. What assessment he has made of the effect of spending reductions in each fire and rescue service area.
15. What assessment he has made of the effect of spending reductions in each fire and rescue service area.
16. What assessment he has made of the effect of spending reductions in each fire and rescue service area.
As I am sure the hon. Lady will appreciate, local response times and decision making over local things like that are a matter for the local fire service. I am pleased to say, however, that the fire service has been protected; indeed, South Yorkshire will receive an extra £2.4 million in capital funding.
Why are fire authority areas with higher incident rates suffering the largest cuts? The West Midlands fire service has been the hardest hit, with cuts of nearly 19%. Will the Government not have another look at that?
The West Midlands fire service also benefits from the de minimis changes in this year’s settlement. It is also one of the authorities that has gained most from the capital grant funding of £11.5 million.