Responding to the 2020 UK government Budget, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has criticised the Chancellor for failing to recognise the role of firefighters in responding to flooding, for failing to provide building safety funding for buildings under 18m and for promising “pittance” to fund firefighters’ crucial fire safety work.
Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said:
“This budget once again fails to end a decade of pay restraint for firefighters and the chronic underfunding of the fire and rescue service.
“The government has finally recognised that they did not provide sufficient funding to keep people safe after Grenfell and that the building safety crisis goes further than just the same flammable cladding that burned that night. But these measures do not go far enough. They are still ignoring those at risk in buildings under 18m, such as the Bolton Cube. This is not good enough and won’t keep people safe.
“After the devastating floods, firefighters pleaded with the government to provide the dramatic funding increase they need to keep people and communities safe, but once again, these pleas fell on deaf ears. When flooding or wildfires inevitably hit again with more intensity, the Chancellor will have to live with knowing that he failed to properly resource the response. He should be ashamed.
“A decade of drastic funding cuts and unfair pay restraint has resulted in the loss of a fifth of our firefighters and a quarter of our fire safety officers – it’s about time that the government recognised and reversed the damage they have done. But, frankly, the £20 million promised to fund fire safety is a pittance compared to the £141.5 million cut since 2013 in England – and it’s utterly insufficient.”
Joe Karp-Sawey, FBU communications officer