The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire precept proposals have been approved for both North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and North Yorkshire Police to help keep communities safe across the region, to keep communities safe across the region.
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority today (Friday 6 February) agreed the Mayoral Budget which includes funding for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service. This follows the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel’s expression of support for the proposed fire and rescue budget on Wednesday 21 January.
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire said:
“Our police and fire services do an amazing job keeping everyone safe, and it is vital that they have the resources to do that well. When family finances are tight, it becomes even more important that public funds are used wisely.
“The precepts agreed this week balance the need to maintain the services that communities rightly expect, ensuring services are able to deliver my priorities, whilst placing the minimum burden on council taxpayers.”
The budget approval follows the public precept consultation where nearly 3,000 residents from across York and North Yorkshire responded, more than half supported the proposal for a rise of up to £10 per year. As part of the process the Mayor sought assurances from the Chief Fire Officer as to how the precept increase would support North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Increases to the fire precept over the last two years has made North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service more financially secure than it has been for more than a decade. This improved position enables the Service to maintain reserves that reflect the financial risks it may face. It also creates the capacity for further investment in prevention activities, estates, fleet, technology and firefighter safety.
The fire and rescue element will be £116.62 per year, which equates to a £9.60 (80p per month) increase for Band D properties compared to last year.
This decision sits alongside yesterday’s (Thursday 5 February) confirmation of the Policing and Crime precept, which was proposed by the Mayor and approved by the Police, Fire and Crime Panel. This follows support from 66% of residents who took part in the public consultation who favoured an increase of £14 or more, as well as assurances received from North Yorkshire Police’s Chief Constable.
Previous increases to the police and crime precept have supported continued progress in neighbourhood crime reduction, response standards and visibility. This includes total crime being down by 3.4%, 94% of emergency calls being announced within 10 seconds, and anti-social behaviour being reduced by 15%.
The Police and Crime precept will increase by £15 per year, which is equivalent to 29 pence per week for Band D properties.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime said:
“David Skaith and I will continue to focus on ensuring we have sustainable public services that prioritise the issues that matter most to the public and have the minimum possible burden on council tax payers.
“National funding settlements for policing are challenging, and that makes local accountability more important than ever. We want to make York and North Yorkshire safe places for everyone.
“In my role I will continue to hold both the police and fire and rescue services locally to account for delivery of value for public money and against important priorities such as increases in neighbourhood policing.”
The precepts will be collected via local authorities in the 26/27 council tax from April.
