This week, ahead of the budget, I attended a joint briefing with the Police and Crime Commissioner to hear urgent financial forecasts for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and Essex Police.

Essex County Fire and Rescue face a modelled 13.7% grant reduction (approximately £5.1 million) — the equivalent of around 100 firefighters — while its Medium-Term Financial Strategy already projects a £4.9 million deficit over the next three years. Demand on the Service has risen 17% in five years due to population growth, climate-related risks and the need to protect key infrastructure and 350 miles of coastline.

Essex Police has delivered over £10 million of cashable savings this year but still faces significant shortfalls. Current forecasts show a £7 million shortfall for 2026/27 and cumulative gaps of £39.4 million across the next four years, depending on the final police funding settlement.

The key levers to close these gaps are: support for the PFCC’s £14 policing precept proposal; front-loading core grant allocations into 2026/27; and allocating one-off Home Office pay funding by officer headcount rather than the current formula. For the fire service the priorities are protecting real-terms grant funding, restoring dedicated capital grants, and ensuring risk-based allocations that reflect Essex’s national resilience role. Both services also ask for multi-year settlements to allow proper strategic planning.

I will be pressing Ministers for a fair and sustainable settlement and will update constituents as discussions progress.

Sir John is pictured with Rick Hylton, Chief Fire Officer, and Roger Hirst, Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner