The Fire Brigades Union has welcomed a commitment from the Labour Party to transform the fire and rescue service by giving firefighters and their union a voice in how it is run.
Speaking today in front of firefighters in Dewsbury and Batley, a key battleground constituency, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper set out Labour’s plan to develop a national structure to inform policy and establish national standards in the fire and rescue service.
Labour will work with trade unions and other stakeholders on the structure, which will aim to raise standards across the service including on key issues like health and safety and service standards.
The service has undergone significant geographical fragmentation in recent years. There are no UK-wide standards, meaning a de-facto postcode lottery in fire cover.
Since 2010, the fire and rescue service has lost one in five firefighter jobs and 30% of its central government funding. The average response time for the first fire appliance to arrive has risen to 9 minutes and 12 seconds in England – the worst on record.
In its manifesto, Labour had already committed to re-establishing national standards in the fire and rescue service and to safeguarding collective bargaining in the sector.
Today’s announcement sets out the vehicle for establishing those national standards should Labour be elected this week.
Cooper also reaffirmed the Labour Party’s commitment to delivering the New Deal for Working People, including the repealing of the Minimum Service Levels Act and the ending of fire and rehire.
Speaking at the event, Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary, said:
The Tories have badly let down out public services over many years. They have turned their backs on the fire and rescue service, the growing challenges it faces as a result of climate change, and the growing impact that its work has on people’s lives.
We cannot afford five more years of this. We know that if Labour wins, we will not have an easy inheritance. But we can and will do things differently.
In the fire and rescue service there is a patchwork of different standards and practices which have created a post-code lottery on fire cover. In government, Labour will deliver new national standards, set by a new structure that will include the FBU and stakeholders.
We will also defend the rights of working people. That means making work pay and implementing the New Deal for Working People – scrapping the Minimum Service Levels Act and ending fire and rehire.
We have the chance to work together for something better. But change will only come if we vote for it.”
Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union general secretary, said:
After 14 years of Tory rule, the fire and rescue service is in crisis. Cuts and fragmentation have put the safety of the public and firefighters at risk. There is currently a complete lack of joined-up thinking. If we are to tackle new risks, including the challenge of the climate crisis, this needs to change urgently.
If elected on 4 July, Labour will have an opportunity to turn things around and end the post-code lottery on fire cover.
The commitment to deliver national standards in the fire and rescue service is a vital first step. Today’s announcement sets out clearly how this might be delivered – with the creation of a new national body in consultation with all stakeholders, including the FBU.
If implemented, this has the potential to transform the fire service by giving professional frontline firefighters a voice in how the service is run.”
