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Greater Manchester council tax could be increased to improve region’s fire service
"I don’t make this proposal lightly," Mayor Andy Burnham claimed.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd February 2025 
Council tax could be increased across Greater Manchester to help keep the region’s fire services one of the UK’s best.
In case you missed it, residents across Greater Manchester were urged to have their say on proposals to increase the police precept that forms part of their council tax bill earlier last month, with funding set to help Greater Manchester Police (GMP) further improve in a number of crucial areas – including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls.
But now, it’s time to turn attentions onto the region’s fire service.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham formally set out his proposals for the council tax precepts that go towards funding fire services in Greater Manchester last week.
With the majority of homes in Greater Manchester falling within Bands A and B, the proposal is for a £3.89 increase in the fire precept (32p a month) for a Band B property – which equates to £5 annual increase (41p a month) for a Band D property.
✅ @greatermcr have noted the proposals before the formal approval process next week on the Mayoral General Budget and Precept.
— Greater Manchester Combined Authority (@greatermcr) January 31, 2025
🗣️ @MayorofGM says these will “improve the life of those in Greater Manchester”.
👇 The paper can be read herehttps://t.co/LKJuANEJie
Mr Burnham’s recommendations across all budgets will be considered for approval at Greater Manchester Combined Authority‘s (GMCA) special budget meeting on this Friday (7 February).
“I don’t make this proposal lightly,” claimed Mayor Andy Burnham.
“I know every pound counts for people in Greater Manchester, especially in the current climate, but the truth is that, without this increase to the precept, we will not be able to maintain the improvements we’ve seen in our fire and rescue service in our region.
“We need to see sustainable funding for fire and rescue services in the Government’s spending review this summer, and with flooding becoming more common, response to flooding events should be made a statutory responsibility, with the necessary funding provided to invest in this area.”
The proposal to increase council tax to fund GMFRS comes after the service was revealed as the most improved and one of best performing fire and rescue services in the country, as per its latest His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection, published in March 2023.
Read more:
- Greater Manchester’s fire service revealed as ‘most improved’ in UK
- Council tax could be increased to help keep Greater Manchester Police ‘one of the best’ in the UK
- More than 16,000 people have been trained in first aid thanks to campaign set up after Manchester Arena attack
The report praised GMFRS for keeping people safe and secure from fires, and commended the way it has improved different capabilities – including its terror attack response capacity.
Featured Image – GMFRS (via Facebook)
