Cuts proposed by Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) were defeated at a Fire Authority extraordinary meeting on 6 August, following opposition organised by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). But faced with the FBU organising, the overwhelming majority of the Fire Authority’s members – which includes councillors from all the austerity parties, including Reform and Labour – rejected these plans. The FBU also warned the government in a 2023 report that austerity has left fire services understaffed and ill-equipped to combat wildfires, calling for “urgent climate action.”