Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Cunningham Excerpts

Monday 14th December 2015 Commons Chamber

[Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough) (Lab)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of changes to the level of funding for fire and rescue services on the effectiveness of those services.

[Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)]

6. If he will take steps to minimise future reductions in the budgets of fire and rescue services.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Greg Clark)]

Fire authorities have continued to provide an excellent service while making sensible savings. The number of incidents is 42% lower than 10 years ago, while the number of fire deaths and injuries is at an all-time low.

[Greg Clark]

I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the magnificent work of firefighters, who, with the other emergency services, council staff, engineers, the armed forces, and indeed the whole community, have worked tirelessly to protect and help people during the flooding in the north of England.

Over the past five years, fire authorities have had spending reductions of less than local authorities. I have given the hon. Gentleman figures showing how well they have performed and managed those cuts, and the National Audit Office has said that the picture is one of financial health. In Cleveland, for example, the fire authority’s spending power is £48 per head of the population, compared to the national average of £37. So that is reflected in the formula.

[Mr Cunningham]

The Minister mentioned the cuts to fire services over the years and said he took great pride in their work, particularly in places such as Cumberland, so I think he should award them a decent wage increase. What guarantee can he give that local fire and rescue services will not be negatively impacted if taken over by local police and crime commissioners?

[Greg Clark]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, we are consulting across the country on whether to remove barriers to better local collaboration between all the blue light services. Such collaboration would be initiated locally, where it is wanted, for the purposes of providing a better service, if those changes would help.