Fund our Fire Service

Don't skimp on saving lives

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is under clear financial strain, and the strongest recent public evidence links that strain to staffing, response, and resilience concerns.

Recent public material from the service says its 2026/27 budget still has a £2.2m gap even after a council tax rise, and that central government funding is expected to fall by £2.9m over the next three years. It also says incidents handled locally have risen by 29% since 2015/16 while firefighter numbers have fallen by 333 since 2002.

That is a strong basis for arguing that demand and resources are moving in opposite directions.

In August 2025, inspectors found the service “inadequate” at getting the right people with the right skills, and BBC reporting said the service was told to improve recruitment and emergency response because of risks such as delays and mobilisation problems.

Public reporting in 2025 also described proposed cuts of up to £1.6m, concerns over losing resilience, and warnings that the service was already struggling to meet its own standards. The Fire Brigades Union said response times and access to resources were inadequate, and that the service had lost one in four firefighters since 2010.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service is being asked to do more with less, while inspections and public reporting have raised concerns about staffing, skills, response resilience, and the risk of delays. We, the under-signed, urge the Government to fund the service properly and urge the Fire Authority to keep pressing ministers for a fair settlement that protects public safety.

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