Station improvement plan as fire service gets extra £1.57

THE cost of fire and rescue services will go up for residents by almost two per cent from April after the latest budget was approved.

The 1.99 per cent increase in the precept means Band D households will pay an extra £1.57 a year – around 3p a week – towards Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, bringing the bill up to £80.35 in 2022/23.

This charge is part of the annual council tax bill, which also includes a contribution towards Staffordshire Police services.

At the end of January a 4.19 per cent increase in the police precept was backed by Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

On Monday, Staffordshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams, pictured above, returned to the panel to present the Fire Revenue Budget, Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and precept proposals.

He said: “The work that fire and rescue services do has changed significantly in recent decades.

“Staffordshire Fire and Rescue provide a broad range of services to keep people safe at home, at work and in public places.

“The number and types of incidents attended have also changed and whilst there had been a downward trend for many years, the service has seen an increase in bluelight response over the last three years.

“Some of that demand is more complex than before; climate change has led to more extreme weather events, leading to flooding and large-scale fires in open areas that have required protracted, resource-intensive responses.

“Due to careful financial planning and central government support, Staffordshire Fire has not seen an impact on its core funding due to Covid-19.

“I am acutely aware that household budgets are tight, so I expect every pound of taxpayer’s money invested in fire and rescue to be spent wisely.”

As part of plans for the next two years,

£1.2m is set to be taken to help fund a vehicle replacement programme, while a further £900,000 is earmarked towards work at Abbots Bromley and Brewood.

Finance director David Greensmith said facilities at Abbots Bromley were not suitable for female firefighters but it was hoped an improvement project would start soon.

He added that Brewood station was now “quite old” and needed work.