A POLITICAL row has broken out at Cornwall Council over a £3-million funding increase for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, with Conservative councillors accusing the Liberal Democrat/Independent administration of presenting a “misleading picture”.

The Conservative group claims the council’s recent announcement celebrating the budget uplift failed to mention the fire service is also being asked to deliver around £900,000 in savings this year.

They argue the administration is “boasting” about extra investment while not highlighting the financial pressures still facing the service.

The council’s recent statement praised the additional funding for Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, but Conservatives say residents should also be aware of savings measures included within the service’s budget plans.

The savings identified include £350,000 through efficiency savings, £30,000 from reducing automatic fire alarm false alarms, £245,000 through managing calls and specialist service call-outs, plus £275,000 through demand management strategy savings.

Conservatives say the combination of additional funding and savings requirements should be presented together to give a clearer picture of the service’s financial position.

Cllr Martyn Alvey, who represents Feock and Kea, said: “The council’s press release tells half the story and hopes nobody asks questions about the other half.

“If you announce millions in new funding but fail to mention the hundreds of thousands of pounds in savings being demanded at the same time, that isn’t transparency. It’s political spin. Residents deserve honesty about the real financial position facing CFRS.”

Torpoint councillor Rob Parsonage added: “This is a classic case of the council wanting the headlines without telling the whole truth.

“The administration is proudly announcing a £3m increase while conveniently glossing over the fact that the fire service is still being told to find nearly £1m in savings. You cannot seriously claim to be investing in a service while simultaneously taking money back out of it.

“Cornwall’s firefighters, staff and residents deserve better than accounting tricks and carefully selected figures designed to generate positive headlines.

“The question the administration needs to answer is simple: if the fire service is receiving such generous support, why is it still being required to make such significant savings?”

The Conservatives have called on council administration to publish the net increase available to the fire service once all savings requirements have been taken into account.

They have also asked for details on what impact the savings measures could have on the service’s ability to protect Cornish communities.

The criticism comes after a change in political control at Cornwall Council following the 2025 elections. The Conservatives had held a large majority since 2021, but their representation was significantly reduced, allowing a Liberal Democrat and Independent coalition to take control.

Cornwall Council’s Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Leigh Frost defended the administration’s approach and rejected the criticism.

He said: “Of course the Tories would question this, as they spent four years avoiding good governance.

“We have invested £3m into the fire service and during the budget process we asked all services to provide plans to become more efficient. The fire service came back with their proposals which we agreed to support.”