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Write to Scottish party leaders: Stop the cuts

Dear Party Leader,

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is an essential public service and a vitally important national strategic asset. Firefighters across Scotland tackle a wide range of emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

As we saw at the Union Street fire in Glasgow City Centre, it is firefighters who respond to that emergency call when it matters most.

Despite saving lives and property, and reducing harm, one in six (16%) firefighter jobs have been lost in Scotland since 2012/13, as real terms funding has been cut. This level of cuts is far more than removal of duplication following the 2012 merger of Scotland’s eight legacy Fire and Rescue Services, as has been suggested by Scottish Government Ministers.

From the creation of the SFRS real terms budget allocations have been reduced to such an extent that the SFRS predicts the organisation will have delivered £900 million in cuts by 2027/28. This figure being well over double the current combined resource and capital budget allocation for this financial year alone.

These real terms cuts have eroded every aspect of the SFRS, reducing resilience, increasing response times and holding the Service back from tackling new and emerging risks as effectively as it could and in the way the public needs and expects.

Both public and firefighter safety have been compromised as a result.

To meet the risks of today and tomorrow, the next Scottish Government must put sustainable investment into the SFRS to begin to reverse the impact of these cuts, rather than continue to impose annual budgets that are forcing the SFRS to contract and snowball critical areas of work in order to focus solely on meeting legislative requirements with such limited budget capacity.

As a voter I want to let you know how much I value 24/7 fire cover, a modern Fire and Rescue Service estate and how much I am opposed to any further increases in emergency response times.

If the SFRS is to truly modernise, making it fit for decades to come, it is crucial that we see urgent action.

I am calling on you to publicly commit your party to an increase in the SFRS Capital and Resource budget to ensure:

1. No further cuts to firefighter numbers  
   2. No further cuts to emergency fire and rescue cover at any time of the day or night  
   3. The safe crewing model is maintained  
   4. Significant investment in fire station welfare and decontamination facilities made  
   5. Increased and sustained real terms investment from the Scottish Government

It is vital that whichever party forms the Scottish Government following the May 2026 elections, they have an acute focus on protecting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

I look forward to hearing from you about the actions you will take to support the SFRS.