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FIREFIGHTERS are demanding more of a say on the Fire Safety Bill after it was revealed yesterday that the government plans to fund just 12 new fire inspectors after the Grenfell tragedy.
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has criticised a “gross underestimate” of the resources needed to tackle a building-safety crisis in England highlighted by the west London tower-block fire in June 2017 that killed 72 people.
The government estimates that £700,000 extra a year is required for the inspections, which would pay for just 12 full-time fire-safety inspectors. The maximum estimated spend is £2.1m, which would pay for 35 inspectors, fewer than one per brigade.
Since 2010, one in five firefighter jobs has disappeared alongside 30% funding cuts — all while climate breakdown brings record blazes and flooding. It’s time to fund our fire service properly, writes FBU general secretary STEVE WRIGHT
