A BARNSLEY MP is warning that fire service cuts are putting lives at risk.
And Stephanie Peacock says such cuts are more noteworthy in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower blaze.
The Barnsley East Labour MP is calling on the government ‘to give firefighters the cash they need to do their job’.
House of Commons research for Ms Peacock has shown that Yorkshire’s fire and rescue authorities have suffered a real-terms cut of £19m in funding from central government, amounting to an 18 per cent reduction, since Theresa May took office in 2016.
In South Yorkshire, the service is facing a cut of £4.8m, or 17 per cent.
“Earlier this month, the government forced through the controversial local government settlement, details of which had been released on the same day that Westminster was preoccupied with Brexit votes,” said Ms Peacock. “Buried in the small print were further cuts in central government support for fire authorities, which receive their funding alongside councils.”
Just last month, the MP revealed that fire services in South Yorkshire already faced a £4m black hole in their budget over the next three years due to government funding cuts and new costs imposed by the Treasury.
An internal assessment warned this will lead to a ‘reduction in level and quality of services provided to citizens, residents, businesses and partners across South Yorkshire’.
The document, revealed to Ms Peacock in response to a Freedom of Information request, makes clear that homes and businesses may be at risk because of the resulting deficit. Service chiefs admitted they will be unable to balance the budget in 2020-2021 and 2021-22 with a direct impact on the level of fire protection and emergency response, concluding that ‘the majority of savings required will now have to come from reducing fire cover’ with ‘increased risk to residents, citizens, businesses and partners of South Yorkshire’.
Ms Peacock said: “After the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, you would think that fire prevention and cover would be a priority for the government but this research shows there are yet more Tory cuts being handed down on local services.
“We know from last month’s report that cuts are already putting local people at risk and it is now on ministers to get their act together and provide Yorkshire’s firefighters with the resources they need to do their job.
“This latest round of cuts is firmly at the prime minister’s own door. She promised an end to austerity, but it clearly isn’t over for the emergency services which work so hard to keep us safe. Even as the Treasury hands them the bill for pensions with one hand, they are taking away yet more funding with the other.
“They have been doing their best despite years of relentless cuts, but I fear that we could now be approaching crisis point. I will urgently raise these concerns in the Commons and fight for the money we need for local homes and businesses to be protected.”
