"Desperate" funding situation as fire service makes a plea for extra funding for vital services

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service says the funding gap for 2025/26 is the result of long-term underfunding.

Councillor Rhydian Vaughan, chairman of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority, highlighted the seriousness of the situation during a Hampshire County Council meeting on Thursday, October 2.

“We haven’t been funded for years,” Cllr Vaughan said. “The chief fire officer and I have written to the government explaining the situation.

“Portsmouth, Southampton, and Basingstoke and Dean MPs have written to government as well, and I’ll get to write to all Conservative MPs to get them to do something.

“But as yet we have heard nothing, but we live in hope.”

He confirmed that while the service is expected to manage through the current financial year without dipping into reserves, that will likely not be possible in 2025/26.

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Cllr Vaughan said: “We will survive this coming year but the next one was going to be a bit tricky.

“Next year is going to be even harder, I suspect, which will be the time we are going to really need them.”

In August, former fire chief Neil Odin warned that £1.7m in proposed cuts were “untenable” decisions. He said the service had turned over every stone to find more money to protect the public. (Watch the video of him speaking about the issue which is embedded in this story)

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson told The News it was working closely with the fire service over finding issues.

They said: “We understand the challenges that fire services are facing and we are determined to deliver better public services through our Plan for Change.

“To support our brave firefighters who work tirelessly to keep communities safe, standalone fire and rescue authorities will receive an increase of almost £70 million next year. We continue to work closely with the sector to ensure Fire and Rescue Services have the resources they need.”