Fire Service calls for support from new Prime Minister
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is facing closing eight stations without improved funding
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service says incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham needs to keep supporting them with improved funding.
The service has faced the possibility of close eight on-call stations due to a funding deficit, although this was held off for a year thanks to an unrelated Government grant.
DWFRS is set to make an application for increased flexibility on the amount we pay for the service through Council Tax, known as precept.
They want to increase it by £8.77 for the year, for a Band D household, which would enable them to keep stations open and deliver a modernisation programme.
The application is expected to be submitted later this year, with a final decision due early next year.
"We certainly will still need assistance in our precept flexibility moving forwards so we can keep our community safe, keep our firefighters safe and give a modernised, efficient service for the future," Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Dave Waters told us. "We would really appeal and urge those ministers and obviously the incoming Prime Minister to look at our funding and support our future funding picture as we move forwards, especially through these climate change times."
Fire crews are seeing their expertise required on a more regular basis for events related to climate change, such as wildfires.
In 2025, DWFRS crews dealt with the Holt Heath fires, which saw 72 hectares of land scorched, with ACFO Waters telling us they're among the most dangerous situations firefighters deal with.
"These incidents are hugely resource heavy," he said, highlighting that support can be brought in from services both nearby and afar. "Those national assets are only available to us if other fire services aren't using them," he said.
And all of this comes at a cost: "The previous two major incidents we've had have cost the fire service in excess of half a million pounds. So you can see the expense that these major incidents caused."
He said this is "the new normal" for services up and down the country and said Government must make sure that's considered when looking at how Fire Services are funded, so that they can be properly equipped to keep communities safe.