Fire Authority agrees to raise council tax

Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Authority has agreed to increase its council tax precept by 1.99%.

The increase means that the Authority’s part of the council tax for a Band D property will go up by £1.53 for the year 2015/16 to £78.42.

The Government’s grant funding to the Authority has reduced by £2.9 million for 2015/16, which means a total reduction of £8.7 million since 2012/13. Devon & Somerset has suffered the third worst settlement of all the Fire Authorities in the country.

Cllr Mark Healey, Chairman of the Fire Authority, said: “The Authority is very concerned as to the disproportionate impact that a standard approach to cuts across the board is having on more rural fire and rescue services such as ours.

“We continue to ask Government to consider better supporting Fire Services like ours, which has the largest number of fire stations and fire engines outside of London. We recognise there is less money to go round and the Chief Fire Officer will continue to use the resources at his disposal to best protect the public.”

In a survey carried out last month, 81% of business owners who responded agreed that the Authority was providing value for money.