Wiltshire's Fire Service looking at 'modest' council tax increase
Emergency service warns of 'challenging' financial times
The Chief Officer at Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service says they are looking at a "modest" increase to their council tax precept.
Ben Ansell says they've been discussing their annual report from 2020-21 which shows how many incidents they responded to over the last year and how they've been getting involved with the community.
The report shows that they were able give virtual fire, road and water safety education to 8,500 children across the region.
Meanwhile, over 13,000 incidents were attended to, which included 101 rescues from fire and 274 rescues from road traffic collisions.
However, like all services they have been affected by the pandemic.
Chief Fire Officer Ben Ansell said:
“The ongoing achievements of DWFRS and the way in which staff have responded to the coronavirus pandemic are something I am extremely proud of. Ensuring the Service can continue to deliver against our priorities, serve our communities and deliver a balanced budget, is key. We are currently in financially challenging times. DWFRS is a strong performing and cost-effective organisation, judged as ‘Good’ by HMICFRS against all three pillars of effectiveness, efficiency and people. I continue to work with elected Members to look for a modest increase in our council tax precept to ensure we can maintain the levels of service to our communities and partner agencies in future years."
The average band D property in Dorset and Wiltshire paid £77.88 in 2020-21 for the fire service's part of their Council Tax bill.
Chair of the Fire and Rescue Authority, Cllr Rebecca Knox said:
“I am very pleased to have received another successful Annual Report from the Chief Fire Officer on the work of Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Service. COVID-19 has provided many challenges for the Service but, as they always do, staff and the senior leadership team have risen to the challenge and supported their communities. This was recognised by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in January.
"There are some key decisions and work that needs to be undertaken to ensure that, wherever possible, all the activities within the Annual Report can continue within budget. Members of the Authority and I continue to support the Chief Fire Officer in trying to make this happen.”
FIREFIGHTERS IN DECLINE
New figures released by the Fire Brigades Union has shown that in just the last year, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has seen the number of their firefighters drop.
From 2020 to 2021, there are 39 less of them, a drop of 4%.
Meanwhile, Hampshire's service saw a big decrease, recording 70 less than the previous year.
The union are warning that if this continues, they won't be able to respond to all fires.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union, said:
“After years of huge government cuts and staffing falls there is a real threat that fire and rescue services may not be able to deal with every incident, and fight all fires: for example, we have heard senior service managers state that the public should lower their expectations that large wildfires can be tackled. The cuts are weakening the day-to-day work of the fire and rescue service in every single area; they are making people less safe. They also pose a threat to the ability to respond to large-scale incidents - particularly if more than one were to occur at the same time.
“Households deserve to feel protected. We all want to be able to walk past fire stations and know that there are enough people in there to protect us. And firefighters will always do whatever they can to save lives. It’s time the government does the same.”