Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has (a) created and (b) appointed a National Wildfire Coordinator.

The government recognises the evolving risk of wildfire and is committed to putting in place the necessary measures to mitigate its impacts and drive forward the UK’s resilience to wildfires. To strengthen government response, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have established joint arrangements to oversee work on wildfire risk anticipation and assessment, preparedness, prevention, response and recovery.

As part of the New Dimensions 2 programme, the government has recently announced the launch of the national wildfire response capability at the end of June. The pilot will place specialist firefighters in key areas across the country ready to respond to wildfires across England, enhancing local response arrangements. The teams are equipped with state-of-the-art kit and have undergone intense training - taking on latest tactics and response strategies drawn from international best practice.

The Local Government Finance Settlement will make available almost £1.95 billion in core spending power (CSP) for standalone fire and rescue authorities in England (excluding York & North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester), an average 4.71% increase compared to 2025/26. By the end of the multi-year period, the government will have provided a 12.75% increase in CSP compared to 2025/26. Decisions on how resources are best deployed to meet their core functions, including wildfire resources, are a matter for each fire and rescue authority.

Furthermore, since 2024 the government has funded a National Resilience Wildfire Advisor. The advisor's role is to evaluate what further national capabilities are needed to boost resilience against wildfires and to ensure that efforts across the sector are well-coordinated. Additionally, the government has recently recruited for an additional support officer to assist in this space.

Finally, each Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfire), through their Community Risk Management Plan (CRMP) and having regard to the views of other key local responders. This could include the use of aerial assets should a service deem it locally necessary. The government does not keep a register of aerial capabilities for firefighting as it's a local decision.