Cambridgeshire Firefighters forced to use foodbanks

Some firefighters in Cambridgeshire are being forced to use foodbanks, a representative of the Fire Brigades Union has said.

Wages not keeping up with inflation and the increasing cost of living mean some firefighters are taking on additional jobs, they said.

The issue was raised at a meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority on Thursday (3).

The authority has set out five levels of potential cuts and savings it may have to make if it is not able to get more funding.

A report presented to the meeting said the authority needs to make £1.1million in savings this year.

Chris Strickland, the Chief Fire Officer, said this was the most difficult situation he had seen in his 39 years in the fire service.

He said the authority had been making savings and efficiencies for the last 10 years. He highlighted that the services’ budget in 2010 was £30million, and said it was now £31million. He also explained that the annual grant from government had been cut from £16million in 2011 to now being £9million.

Mr Strickland said most of the services’ budget came from council tax, which he said could only be raised by two-percent each year.

He explained that without a change to this there would have to be “difficult decisions” to make savings.

Mark Harris, a Fire Brigades union official, highlighted that firefighters’ pay had not risen with inflation, and said they were receiving over £4,000 less a year than if it had.

He said some firefighters were having to take on second and third jobs. He said: “Despite this some staff are forced to use foodbanks and face the real risk to lose their homes due to spiralling costs.”

Mr Harris also raised concerns about the potential cuts in the report and the impact this would have on the service.

Mr Strickland said he agreed that staff should be paid in line with inflation, but said the “stark reality” was that the service could only afford to pay the money it had.

He added that the savings that had been presented were to show the service was prepared, but were not ‘taken lightly’.

Mr Strickland said the authority had to be prepared for “any eventuality” and would have to make “difficult decisions should the financial situation dictate”.