Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in costs on fire and rescue services across England.

Fire and rescue services have the resources they need to do their important work. Overall, fire and rescue authorities (FRAs) will receive around £2.6 billion in 2023/24. All standalone FRAs, which includes West Yorkshire, will see an increase in core spending power of 8.1 per cent in cash terms compared to 2022/23.

On 6 February 2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) published the final Local Government Financial Settlement setting out the referendum principles for Local Authorities in 2023/24. All standalone FRAs, including West Yorkshire, will be able to increase their Band D council tax by £5. This will raise c£67 million if all standalone FRAs choose to make full use of the flexibility.

The final settlement also confirmed that Revenue Support Grant and Baseline Funding Levels would increase in line with September 2022 CPI (10.1%). This will help FRAs to manage their inflationary pressures.

Ahead of the 2024/25 Provisional Local Government Financial Settlement, the Home Office worked closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council to review evidence of inflationary pressures facing fire and rescue services.