The Council Tax precept for Humberside Fire Authority for 2010/11 has been set at an increase of 1.64% to help fund its budget requirement of £49,718,000.

In December 2009, residents were asked what level of increase they would be happy with for 2010/11 for their Fire and Rescue Service. Of the people who responded, 76% said they would be content with a precept increase of 1% or more.

Kevin Wilson, Director of Finance at Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“To maintain the current level of service, the precept this year only needed to be increased by 1%, due to low pay rises and low general inflation. Although, with the likelihood of significant reductions in external support from central government, it is going to prove extremely challenging for the Fire Authority if we want to maintain the current level of service in future years.”

The additional 0.64% increase in the Council Tax precept will provide £140,000 which will fund a support team who will focus on making vulnerable elderly residents safer.

Cllr Brian Jefferies, Chair of Humberside Fire Authority, said:

“Research shows there is a clear relationship between social care dependency and accidental fire deaths. This means that vulnerable elderly people face a greater risk of dying in accidental fires in the home, particularly those who live alone or who have no one to support them. This new support team will aim to reduce that risk through improved partnership working with social care providers and networks which support vulnerable people”.

More than half of the overall budget will be funded by the Government, with the rest coming from the Council Tax. The majority of the budget will be spent on fire fighting and rescue operations, which this year will cost £31,893,000. The remainder will be spent on support to the operational side including areas such as the purchase of personal protective equipment for fire fighters and the support teams who already work in our communities to reduce the risk of fire.

The new Fire Authority precept for households in Band D will be £77.92, an increase of £1.26 from last year, but for the majority of people in N E Lincolnshire whose property is in band A, the annual increase wiil be £51.95.

The latest increase means that a resident of a Band A property will see an increas of onl 7p per week