Rick Hylton, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, outlines how the Service is planning for the future to ensure it remains resilient, affordable and focused on protecting communities across Essex:
Keeping Essex safe means being ready for whatever our communities face, including responding to more incidents, supporting more vulnerable people and managing a wider range of risks across the county.
This shapes how Essex County Fire and Rescue Service plans for the future, ensuring we have the right people, skills and training in place to meet changing demand.
Our focus is on planning over the medium and longer term, rather than responding to pressures as they arise, so the Service is in the strongest possible position to protect our firefighters and the communities they serve.
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) has announced his proposal to increase the fire and rescue portion of council tax by £5 for 2026/27, subject to approval by the Police, Fire and Crime Panel on 3 February.
Rick Hylton, Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive
If approved, this would allow the Service to set a balanced budget for 2026/27 and place ECFRS in a more secure position than anticipated before Christmas.
The proposed budget follows the Local Government Finance Settlement announced on 17 December – the first multi-year settlement in over a decade.
However, changes to national funding allocations mean the Service is expected to lose £3.3m of Government funding over the next three years.
The funding settlement gives us certainty, not comfort, so we must continue to plan and adapt how we operate to ensure the Service remains resilient into the future.
2026/27 budget
The proposed 2026/27 budget includes planned investment in areas that support frontline delivery, training and professional standards, including:
- 10 additional wholetime firefighter roles
- Two additional Breathing Apparatus trainer roles
- Professional Standards Officer roles
- A Community Wellbeing Officer role
This proposed investment is anchored in our Community Risk Management Plan (2025–2030), which sets out how we will continue making Essex safer together over the next five years by focusing on prevention, protection and effective response to emerging risks.
Looking ahead
As part of our longer-term plans and following approval of the Full Business Case and planning permission from Braintree District Council, we are taking forward plans for a new live fire training centre at our Service Headquarters, Kelvedon Park.
This will provide a permanent home for realistic, high-quality firefighter training.
This investment will help ensure firefighters are properly prepared for the incidents they attend, supporting the safety of both our crews and the communities they serve.
Our approach
We are taking responsible, early action to ensure Essex County Fire and Rescue Service remains affordable, resilient and focused on what matters most – keeping our communities safe.
This includes continuing to invest in priorities identified through our Community Risk Management Plan, such as improving daytime fire engine availability and strengthening training facilities.
By planning ahead, we are putting the Service in the strongest position to continue protecting our firefighters and the people of Essex.
Background
1. Since 2021, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has delivered £7.4 million in cashable savings, with a further £2.5m of efficiency savings included in the proposed 2026/27 budget. These savings have supported the Service’s ability to balance its finances while continuing to invest in frontline delivery, training and professional standards.
2. Demand on Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has increased by 17 per cent over the past five years, reflecting the changing nature of risk across the county. Over that period, Essex has seen growth in incidents linked to population and housing development, climate-related risks such as wildfires and flooding, and more complex rescues and road traffic collisions.
The county’s risk profile has also evolved due to its scale and infrastructure, including major transport corridors such as the M25, A12, A13, A127 and M11, three international ports, two airports, 350 miles of coastline, and nationally significant energy and fuel infrastructure in areas such as Thurrock and Canvey Island, which supports London and the wider South East.
Budget plans
The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s budget proposals will be considered by the Essex Police, Fire and Crime Panel on February 3 2026. Details can be found here.
‘We have plans to keep you safe and secure’ PFCC, Roger Hirst MBE, reveals his budget proposals for Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
