The article reports on the financial struggles faced by fire services in England due to inadequate funding from the government following national insurance tax increases. While police forces received full compensation for rising costs, fire services are only getting about 50% of what is necessary, leaving them significantly short. This discrepancy translates to millions in funding deficits, which raises concerns about public safety and operational capabilities. Despite the government's additional grants for fire authorities, the funding falls short by 20 million pounds of the required amount, leading to questions about resource allocation and fiscal fairness between services.
"Most fire services in England are facing a shortfall in funding after the government failed to give them the same level of compensation for tax increases as the police."
"One fire service said the 50% shortfall was the same cost as a fully-staffed fire engine."
"The National Fire Chiefs Council says that even with the extra money fire services will be 20m short of the 40m needed to cover national insurance increases."
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