The Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority's Executive Committee met on Wednesday 15 July 2026 to review the provisional outturn of the budget for the 2025-2026 financial year, receive an update on recruitment activities, and discuss progress on the 2026-2027 Annual Delivery Plan.

Budget Monitoring Report April 2025 - March 2026 (Provisional Outturn)

The committee was scheduled to consider the provisional outturn for the Authority's revenue and capital spending for the financial year ending 31 March 2026. The report indicated a net underspend of £0.493m, primarily due to an underspend on income and expenditure of £1.103m, partially offset by a funding variance of £0.610m. Favourable expenditure variances were attributed to vacancies in support roles, reduced costs for the Airwave system, and vacant support staff posts. Higher-than-budgeted investment income also contributed positively.

The capital programme for 2025-26 totalled £8.843m, with a provisional outturn of £1.335m, resulting in slippage of £7.479m into future years. This slippage was largely due to delays in securing planning permission for the Westcott training centre project, as well as delays in vehicle deliveries and other schemes awaiting strategic review outcomes.

Recommendations included noting the provisional outturn forecast, approving the carry-forward of capital programme slippage, and transferring underspends to reserves to cover capital purchases and fund future capital programmes. Delegated authority was also proposed for the Chief Finance Officer to authorise late changes to reserve movements and capital slippage amounts during the year-end close-down process.

Recruitment Update July 2026

The meeting was scheduled to receive an update on recruitment activities across the Service, aiming to demonstrate progress in supporting workforce resilience, operational capacity, and long-term workforce planning. Key highlights included 541 applications for firefighter roles and 23 transferee applications, contributing to a sustainable talent pipeline.

Recruitment for On-Call Firefighters was identified as a challenge, with a redesigned recruitment model proposed from September 2026 to improve attraction, conversion, and time-to-hire. Support staff recruitment was progressing well, with key appointments made in critical areas such as fleet, public safety, business fire safety, and ICT, strengthening organisational capacity. The average Time to Hire for support staff vacancies was reported as 27 days.

The report noted that recruitment activity is managed within the context of affordability, organisational risk, and future service requirements, adhering to employment, equality, and health and safety legislation.

2026-2027 Annual Delivery Plan Update

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on progress against the Annual Delivery Plan for 2026-2027, viewed from a Project Management Office (PMO) assurance perspective. The report focused on major projects, outlining deliveries, planned next steps, and emerging risks.

As this was the first quarter of the year, delivery activity was in its early stages, with a focus on mobilising projects, confirming scope and governance, and ensuring plans were in place for the year ahead. Of the 24 projects within the Annual Delivery Plan, 15 were reported as On Track, 2 as Risk to Progress, and 7 as Not due to be started.

The On-Call Improvement Programme was reported as Green overall, with implementation planning underway. The Local Training Facility project remained Red due to ongoing planning process delays and associated timeline pressures, with emerging cost risks noted. The High Wycombe Station Redevelopment/Restoration project had moved to Green status, with early planning and due diligence activity progressing. Collaborative programmes, such as PPE renewal, had moved to Amber due to delays in the national framework.

The report also detailed the objectives for Prevention, Protection, Response & Resilience, People, Finance & Assets, and Digital & Data within the 2026-2027 Annual Delivery Plan.