Fire Authority raises Council Tax precept

South Yorkshire Fire Authority has agreed to increase its Council Tax precept by 1.98 per cent next year.
Chief Fire Officer Jamie CourtneyChief Fire Officer Jamie Courtney
Chief Fire Officer Jamie Courtney

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 in Band D homes.

Fire chiefs say the extra revenue will help the fire service protect local communities despite huge reductions in Government funding. But they say the scale of the cuts mean changes to frontline services remain inevitable.

Fire Authority Chair Coun 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.”

“I believe providing the wide range of safety and emergency response services we do for just over £1.20 a week for an average household represents good value for money.”

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.”

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