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 removing the three grant income streams on the financial sustainability of fire and rescue services in West Dorset constituency.

Government funding for fire and rescue services is provided by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Overall, fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.87 billion in 2024/25. In 2025/26, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority has a core spending power of £74.9m, an increase of £2.4m or 3.3% compared to 2024/25.

The Final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025/26, (published on 3 February 2025) sets out that standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities, such as Dorset and Wiltshire, will see an increase in core spending power of up to £65.5 million in 2025/26. Including the National Insurance Contribution Grant, this is an increase of 3.6 per cent in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

It is the responsibility of each Fire and Rescue Authority to determine how to allocate the funding that they receive based on its analysis of risk and local circumstances. Officials in the Home Office and MHCLG are working with the National Fire Chiefs Council to collate evidence on the fire and rescue sector’s funding needs to HM Treasury. Decisions on any capital funding will be subject to an assessment at the next Spending Review.