Budget cuts explained

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) has predicted it needs to find a minimum of £4.2 million over the next four years following Government funding cuts.

However, the Service could need to find an extra £2 million on top of this figure (a total of about £6 million) if the formula for allocating fire service funding from the Government is changed and falls unfavourably for Cambridgeshire for 2013/14, or if inflation remains above the 2% rate predicted by the Government.

In order to find this money, the Fire Service recommended a number of areas in which it could save money, while minimising the impact on its service to the public. These were approved by the Fire Authority on May 26 with some minor amendments.

At its most recent meeting on October 13, the Fire Autority agreed that key decisions relating to the budget cuts programme will be postponed until a clearer financial picture is obtained. This should be provided by the Government's annual spending review in November, which will detail how much money is coming to fire and rescue services. The recommendations will be brought back to the Fire Authority in February 2011.

Further information