Fire service council tax precept to rise by more than 5%

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) will increase the amount of money it takes from council taxpayers in Caerphilly by more than 5%.

Under proposals approved on Monday, February 12, next year’s budget (2024/2025) will be £95.8m, a 7.23% rise from this year.

It was approved by the four independent commissioners who have taken over the running of the service from the fire authority, which was stripped of its responsibilities by the Welsh Government. It came following a damning report published in January exposing a “sexist and misogynist culture” within the service.

The fire service covers Caerphilly County Borough, as well as nine other local authority areas across south Wales.

Taxpayers in Caerphilly will pay an extra 5.52% in the new financial year.

Last year, the fire service increased the amount of money it takes from council taxpayers in Caerphilly by 11.78%.

The budget report said that this year’s increase assumes the Welsh Government will transfer additional fire fighter pension funding to constituent councils in the final local government settlement in accordance with the practice it started at this stage last year.

The provisional local government funding settlement announced in December included an overall 3.1% increase for Welsh councils.

A report said the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and problems forecasting pay and price inflation has caused significant turbulence in the last two financial years.

It said that cumulative increases in fire budgets remain lower than the comparative levels in constituent councils over the period.

The report said that £2.5m of reserves will be committed in the current year and a further £1.2m in 2024-25.