The Fire Brigades Union has warned that firefighters “will fight for every job and every station in every corner of the UK” as it prepares for the prospect of industrial action over cuts.
The move comes as two fire services – Avon and Leicestershire – appear to have been spared cuts to services following a prolonged campaign by the FBU.
Firefighters in Avon have been campaigning against cuts since the autumn, when Avon Fire and Rescue announced that it had a £2m deficit for the 2026-27 financial year, resulting in the loss of between 32 and 72 firefighter posts.
FBU members rallied, lobbied and warned that they would be willing to strike. As a result of the campaign, fire service bosses delayed the cuts until 2026.
Now, however, Avon’s Chief Fire Officer has written to fire service employees to inform them that, as a result of lobbying and campaigning, the service has received an additional £3.5m in central government funding.
Meanwhile, firefighters in Leicestershire are celebrating an additional £2m of funding this year following an anti-cuts campaign and changes to their central funding calculation, allowing them to avert cuts.
Steve Wright, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
Where firefighters stand together and fight, we can win. The FBU is proud that our members’ efforts to campaign for funding, which have made the residents of Avon and Leicestershire safer. However, across the country, we are still facing devastating cuts.
Politicians and chief fire officers should be on notice - we will fight for every job and every station in every corner of the UK. If necessary, we will take industrial action to protect the fire service.
Britain is one of the richest countries in the world, and billionaires are richer than ever – after years of Tory austerity, it’s time for change.”
Amanda Mills, FBU Avon brigade secretary, said:
We are proud of all our members across Avon and the wider region who have campaigned and lobbied to push back these cuts.
Without the hard work of FBU members, we would not have delayed the proposals, and we would already have lost firefighter posts.
Of course, defeating further cuts is not enough. We’ve lost 252 firefighter jobs in Avon since 2010 – and we desperately need them back. It’s time for the government to invest to reverse the effects of austerity.
Harry Brandt, FBU Leicestershire brigade secretary, said:
This fresh money from central government is a huge relief to firefighters in Leicestershire, who are already stretched to breaking point because of cuts implemented over the past decade or so. We are proud of the campaign we have run.
We will stand in solidarity with residents and firefighters across the country as they prepare to fight a fresh round of austerity in the fire service.”
