MERSEYSIDE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE

That this House notes with alarm that in the period 2010-11 to 2019-20, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service will experience a 50 per cent real terms reduction in Government grant; further notes that this will lead to a reduction in the Authority's revenue budget from £73.6 million to £59.9 million, amounting to a wholly unacceptable reduction of £13.7 million; expresses grave concern that as a consequence of cuts the number of firefighters has reduced from 1,000 to 620 full-time equivalents; draws attention to the fact that although the Authority had usable reserves of £27.7 million in 2017-18, £17.8m of those funds are being used for capital schemes already underway, £3 million to enable recruitment of firefighters to replace those reaching retirement age, a £1 million provision for catastrophic incidents, a smoothing reserve of £1.8 million, and general reserves of only £2 million dispelling any belief that the current reserves represent a viable mechanism through which to sustain the Fire and Rescue Service; further expresses great concern that the Authority despite its efforts to introduce efficiencies and savings will no longer be able to fund a service which is safe for the public; and calls on the Government to urgently review the need for additional funding.