Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) continuing existing government grants for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and (b) uplifting such grants by inflation.

On 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published the Final Local Government Finance Settlement 2025/26 which sets out grant allocations for all local authorities including fire and rescue.

The Home Office will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector to ensure fire and rescue services have the resources they need to protect communities.