At its meeting on 10 February, Humberside Fire Authority discussed whether to increase the Council Tax precept or to freeze it at its current level for the year 2023/24.

The Authority debated the responses from the public consultation, considering the current financial pressures people are facing over the increasing inflation rates and energy prices, weighed against the need to maintain current service delivery and invest in the future. Ultimately the Authority agreed to go with option 2, which will raise the precept for 2023/24 by £4.99 per year based on a Band D Property.

Kevin Wilson, Executive Director of Finance and Section 151 Officer, said “The Authority’s decision was not made lightly and it was acknowledged that people across the country are continuing to face financial pressures. After a discussion, a decision was reached to raise the precept to support the continuation of a Fire and Rescue delivering an excellent service, and to enable investment into resources to benefit everyone in the Humber region.

“80% of residents in the Humber region are in Council Tax Band C or below, and therefore will pay an increase of less than the £4.99.

“Most of our budget (£34.5m) will be spent on fire response and prevention and protection activities, with £14.6m spent on funding Fire Engines, Fire Stations and other essential assets."

For more information about what the Service costs, please visit the finance area of our website, click here.

How will this impact households?

Below is a table showing what the increase will mean for the different Council Tax Bands for 2023/24.