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Norfolk Fire Service Faces £1M Budget Deficit
3 Aug
Summary
- Norfolk Fire Service expects to exceed its budget by over £1 million.
- Increased call-outs due to extreme weather and complex incidents are a major cause.
- The service is reportedly the third-lowest cost in the country per capita.
Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service faces a projected budget overspend of £1.062 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year. This comes after an additional £700,000 uplift to manage increased demand. Call-outs have risen by 73% over the past five years due to extreme weather events, water rescues, and more complex incidents.
The service attributes these budget pressures to higher staffing costs, particularly with 60% of front-line staff being on-call or retained firefighters. Critical overtime and standby costs were also incurred to ensure adequate coverage across Norfolk.
Despite the overspend, the service highlights its position as having the third-lowest operational costs per capita in the country. This financial strain comes as Norfolk has experienced frequent wildfires from summer heatwaves, with 20 homes destroyed in 2022. In 2025, the service responded to over 10,000 incidents, a record high.
