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Chamber and committees

Supporting Firefighters in Hamilton and Lanarkshire

  • Submitted by: Monica Lennon, Central Scotland, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2023
  • Motion reference: S6M-10025

That the Parliament values the important work carried out by firefighters and other Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) workers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Scotland's communities; acknowledges the varied and challenging nature of this work, including the prevention and control of fires, and responding to many different emergency incidents, including road traffic collisions, rope rescue, water rescue, hazardous materials and flooding, as well as assisting partner agencies with other emergencies, including responding to out-of-hospital cardiac arrests; believes that SFRS must be adequately funded to ensure it can meet local and national demands; notes with concern the reported announcement by SFRS of the planned removal of 10 appliances and high-reach vehicles on an unspecified temporary basis, including one appliance in Hamilton; is concerned that these proposed cuts are a result of the funding pressures on SFRS, which is reportedly expected to make £36 million in cuts over a four-year period, including £11 million in 2023-24; notes the concerns of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) Scotland that these service cuts will have a detrimental impact on firefighters and will affect the service that they are able to provide in Hamilton and other areas affected by staffing pressures and service reductions, and calls on the Scottish Government to urgently review the funding arrangements for SFRS, and to meet with both the SFRS and FBU Scotland, to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of firefighters and communities are fully considered.


Supported by: Maggie Chapman, Katy Clark, Paul O'Kane, Alex Rowley, Colin Smyth, Paul Sweeney