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Written question asked by Alex Mayer (Labour) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Florence Eshalomi (Labour) on Wednesday, 9 September 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Fires: East of England

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to support fire services across the East of England to tackle wildfires.

Answer

Fire and rescue services have been responding to an exceptionally challenging period of wildfire activity, with multiple significant incidents being managed simultaneously across England and Wales.

Measures have already been utilised to assist with the response to emergencies such as the ban on the disposable BBQs introduced on 14 August as well as use of the emergency alert system across the East of England and other parts of the UK. These are options that will assist emergency services going forward.

This year, we have made available almost £1.95 billion in core spending power to standalone fire and rescue authorities in England (excluding York & North Yorkshire and Greater Manchester) through the Local Government Finance Settlement. It is for each fire and rescue authority to decide how best to use that funding, including for wildfire training, preparation and prevention, based on local risk.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
23682
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Fire and rescue services Fires East of England
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk