Council tax payers face increase for fire service

South Yorkshire Fire Authority has decided to increase its council tax precept next year by 1.98 per cent to help deal with Government cuts to its budget of around £10 million by 2015.

The increase, which is under the 2 per cent figure that would have required a referendum across the county, will mean a rise of £1.24 a year for people whose homes fall within the average council tax Band D.

Fire chiefs say the extra £400,000 in annual revenue the increase will bring will help the fire service continue to protect local communities despite huge reductions in Government funding but they say the scale of the cuts mean changes to frontline services remain inevitable.

The decision to increase means Band D residents will pay £63.78 a year in council tax to the fire service (around £1.22 a week), up from £62.54 a year in 2012/13.

Fire Authority chairman Cllr Jim Andrews said: “Despite the severe cuts to our Government funding we have been able to limit this increase to under two per cent as we appreciate the difficult circumstances facing many of our residents.”

Chief fire officer Jamie Courtney added: “It is vital that we do as much as possible to protect our frontline services, and since 2010 we have significantly reduced management, administration and back office costs.

“We still have to make major savings over the next few years, and they will clearly impact upon our frontline services, but I believe this decision will help us to continue providing the first-class fire and rescue service our communities deserve.”