Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Peter McCall is responsible for setting the Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) portion of council tax for 2023-24. The PCC is today opening the council tax precept consultation, asking for public feedback on the budget proposal for the fire service.
CFRS is partially funded by the public through council tax and by businesses through business rates. This is the first year that PCC Peter McCall is responsible for CFRS’s budget after becoming the shadow Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on 1 January 2023 and will take on full responsibility for the service’s governance on 1 April 2023.
Commenting on the council tax consultation, PCC Peter McCall, said: “As a result of Local Government Reform (LGR), I now have the responsibility each year to set the council tax precept levels for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service.
“This is not a new charge to residents as the Fire element was previously included in the elements of council tax that was paid to Cumbria County Council. Following the LGR changes, the charge is now visible and is clearly articulated so that residents will now know what they pay for Fire and Rescue Services.
“Setting the council tax precept is of course never easy and is especially challenging this year due to the current financial situation.
“I am acutely aware of the pressure that the cost-of-living crisis is placing on people across the county. This pressure is also impacting on the fire budgets due to salary increases, rising cost of fuel and utilities and must be balanced against the requirement to maintain the current level of service that we have rightly come to expect in Cumbria which keeps us all safe.
The survey is now open for those who wish to have their say.