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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of potential funding cuts to West Midlands Fire Services on their resources to protect the community and firefighters, and whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of greater central government funding for West Midlands Fire Services.

In 2026/27, West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority will have a core spending power of £147.27 million, an increase of 7.11% compared with 2025/26.

Decisions on how resources are best deployed to meet core functions are a matter for each fire and rescue authority. The Ministry will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.

The Government recognises that the current fire funding formula was designed over a decade ago. In line with responses to the principles of reform consultation in December 2024, the Government updated the fire and rescue relative needs formula using the most up-to-date data available. We are working with the fire sector on a comprehensive review of the formula ahead of the next Spending Review.