Combined Fire Authority approves council tax precept increase

Nottinghamshire’s Combined Fire Authority has today (Friday 23 February) approved a 2.95 percent increase in Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s share of the local council tax precept.

Currently, the average Band D property householder pays £89.57 per year towards their local fire service. This rise will take that figure to £92.21 as of April – which equates to a 5p a week increase.

Now approved, this change will add just over £300,000 to the service’s annual budget, something which leaders say will help them continue to deliver a 999-response service, keep people safe in their homes and protect businesses from fire.

Fire Authority Chair, Councillor Michael Payne, said: “Planning for the future has long been a challenge for the authority, as the service only receives a 12-month funding settlement from Central Government each year.

“Without this small increase in our council tax precept, we would be facing significant financial shortfalls in the coming years. This would make it hard for us to present a balanced annual budget, which we are legally obliged to do.

“We want to ensure that our fantastic local fire service can continue to deliver an outstanding service for all of our communities, and I know effort will be made to identify potential savings throughout the year through robust budget management, to further aid our financial position.”

More information on what this council tax precept increase means for your property can be found on our Council Tax Information page, here.

Further information on the work Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service does to create safer communities can then be found in the service’s Community Risk Management Plan.