Fire and police tax set to rise after authorities fix new budget

FIRE and police chiefs have increased the council tax precept from April 1.

Cheshire Fire Authority will up the precept by 1.99 percent to £70.46 per year if you lives in a Band D home.

Cheshire Police’s 1.97 per cent rise equates to £156.23 per year for a Band D property.

Both services saw their funding from central Government cut by millions.

Cheshire Fire Service’s authority agreed a budget of £42m million for 2015/16 after confirming savings of £1.9 million from cuts to back office areas and changes in emergency response services. However the authority also approved a capital programme which includes £840,000 for three new fire engines, £700,000 for a new hydraulic platform to help firefighters work at height and £170,000 to fit all fire engines with new computers.

Chief Fire Officer Paul Hancock added: “We know there are still big challenges ahead but the changes we are introducing are helping us to ensure we don’t compromise on our commitment to protecting local communities, reducing risk and maintaining firefight- ers’ safety.”

Cheshire Police And Crime Commissioner John Dwyer approved the council tax rise which will put an extra £1m into the budget, which was slashed by £8m.

Mr Dwyer said the cash will help to fund the recruitment of an extra 53 officers by March 2016 and assigning 131 more officers to neighbourhoods.

He said the budget will improve work to combat child sexual exploitation, rape, domestic abuse and slavery and human trafficking, maintain PCSO levels and maximise public engagement.