Baxter to lead debate on wildfires in Scottish Parliament

As parliament returns from its summer recess, Scottish Liberal Democrat rural affairs spokesperson Andrew Baxter will lead a debate on wildfires, following the devastating blaze that raged across the Cairngorms for more than a month.  

On Tuesday, MSPs will debate a motion brought forward by the Scottish Liberal Democrat member for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch.

As well as recognising the increasing threat of wildfires in Scotland, the motion highlights the Scottish Government’s flawed response to the Cairngorms blaze.

More than 2,500 hectares of moorland and forest were destroyed in the fire. It led to the evacuation of residents in Nethy Bridge, with smoke spreading all the way out to Aberdeen.

Ministers delayed chairing of the meeting of their Resilience Room, convened at times of emergency, by more than a week. When it was eventually held, the SNP government refused an offer of UK military support to help tackle the wildfire.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have also published a dossier exposing the state of the country’s fire service.

 This revealed that:

• Scottish Fire and Rescue had to pay almost £6 million in overtime payments last year, up by a third in the last five years from £4.5 million in 2021/22.
• Mental health absences have skyrocketed, from 4,219 days lost in 2021/22 to 12,132 days in 2025/26.
• Almost a third of full-time equivalent retained firefighter posts are unfilled.

Scottish Liberal Democrats are calling for a cross-party summit to learn the lessons of the response to the Cairngorms wildfire and to ensure that there is a concrete action plan going forward.

Commenting ahead of the debate, Andrew Baxter MSP said:

“The Cairngorms wildfire has left an apocalyptic and desolate imprint on one of the most beautiful parts of the country.

“It was not a one-off, freak weather event. Wildfires are now happening annually in Scotland; we need a government that is far more prepared, far more proactive when the next one inevitably strikes.

“The Cairngorms fire was also the first major test of the new action plan that the government paraded earlier this year, but the unacceptable failings of their response show that this plan must be looked at again.

“It’s also clear that the fire service doesn’t have the resources it desperately needs to deal with the growing threat of wildfires. Mental health absences among staff and a burgeoning overtime bill are only making things worse.

“I hope that the Scottish Government agrees to our call for a cross-party summit. That’s the first, essential step in working with fire teams, local authorities, farmers, gamekeepers, businesses and more to prevent a devastating repeat of this summer.”