For the first time in a decade, there has been a small increase in the number of firefighters - a marginal 1% rise, according to new figures obtained by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). There was an increase of 300 frontline firefighter jobs, after a decade of drastic cuts.
Since the Tory-led governments came into office in 2010, 11,500 frontline firefighter jobs have been cut. This is now almost one-in-five (19%) of the total firefighting force over this period. Almost one thousand firefighter jobs have been cut in Scotland since 2010. In Wales nearly 600 jobs have gone, while lack of recruitment in Northern Ireland has seen a reduction of over 200 firefighter jobs.
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