No funding has been allocated to fire and rescue authorities for the purposes of meeting equality and diversity recruitment targets in each of the last five financial years.
Communities and Local Government has allocated £2 million in total in capital grant for 2009-10 and 2010-11 to those fire and rescue authorities which make a commitment to recruitment targets both for women in the operational sector and for minority ethnic staff across all sectors of their workforce higher than those required by the Fire and Rescue Service equality and diversity strategy. Those fire and rescue authorities that have qualified for capital grant have committed to meet targets by 2013 for a minimum of 18 per cent. of new entrants to the operational service to be women and for recruitment of minority ethnic staff across the whole workforce to be at 2 - 5 per cent. above the minority ethnic representation in the local working population.
Communities and Local Government has allocated £34,482 in capital grant for 2009-10 to each of 29 fire and rescue authorities that have committed to the higher recruitment targets.