Austerity is crippling the fire service and putting our communities at risk – Karen Lee

Karen Lee MP, Labour’s Shadow Fire and Emergencies Minister, responding to reports by the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services who have said fire safety checks have fallen by 42% in the last seven years, said:

“This shows that the past eight years of the Conservatives’ austerity programme has downgraded our fire service’s ability to deliver crucial areas of their service.

“Austerity is crippling the fire service and putting our communities at risk. The service is at breaking point with overstretched and under-resourced firefighters resulting in a degraded capacity to deliver life-saving preventative operations. 

“The Government must act urgently in the interest of public safety, stop the cuts, and provide the long-term sustainable funding that our fire service needs.”