Fire precept funding to drive further real improvements in Greater Manchester’s fire service
- Additional funding will support the continued expansion of GMFRS and support it to maintain some of the best response times in the country
- Mayor calls for sustainable Government funding for fire and rescue services, and for flood response to be made a statutory, fully-funded responsibility
- Firefighter numbers kept above 2017 levels and 52nd fire engine to come into service this year
- Small increase in the Fire precept proposed - £0.32 a month increase (£3.89 a year) for an average Band B property. Most homes in Greater Manchester fall within Bands A and B
- These increases are vital to maintain the significant improvements in the fire and rescue service – judged last year to be one of the most improved and best performing services in England
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has today set out his proposals for the council tax precepts that go towards funding fire services in Greater Manchester. Final recommendations across all budgets will be considered for approval at the special budget GMCA meeting on 7 February 2025.
The majority of homes in Greater Manchester fall within Bands A and B. The proposal is for a £3.89 increase in the fire precept (£0.32 a month) for a Band B property, which equates to £5 annual increase (£0.41 a month) for a Band D property.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:
“I don’t make this proposal lightly. 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.
“Last year, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service was judged to be the one of the UK’s best performing services in the country as a result of improvements across culture and leadership, and prevention and protection.
“I’ve kept my commitment to keeping firefighter numbers higher than when I first took office and we’re expanding, adding fire engines to our fleet to keep up with the growing city region.”
Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, said:
“Fire and other services across Greater Manchester are facing continued budget pressures, and the funding raised through these precepts is vital.
“We are enormously proud of our Fire and Rescue Service and the improvements made under the leadership of Chief Fire Officer, Dave Russel. We more than upheld the Mayor’s commitments on fire engine and firefighter numbers. We have 1222 firefighters in Greater Manchester today, up from 1121 in 2017, and this will increase further to 1246 over the coming year. We have also increased our fire engine fleet, with an additional engine launched in Manchester in December.
“Every penny we increase these precepts by is considered carefully – we take this responsibility very seriously. We recently launched a public consultation on our draft Fire Plan for 2025 to 2029, which has been developed following engagement with 3,800 residents, and it is vital we deliver the service that the people or Greater Manchester have told us they want, and that they deserve.”
Fire precept
In its latest His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection published in March 2023, GMFRS was revealed as the most improved and one of best performing fire and rescue services in the country. The inspectorate graded GMFRS to be “Good” in 10 of its 11 inspection areas.
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. It also praised how GMFRS has prioritised cultural improvements, putting culture and values at the heart of everything it does, driven by the creation of a ‘culture first’ board and staff sounding panel.
Following a review of fire cover in 2023, it was announced that two further fire engines would go on the run to bolster cover across the rapidly developing city-region and increase capacity for fire safety activities. GMFRS added an extra fire engine – it’s 51st – into the city centre in December, with plans to add a 52nd this year.
Significant pressure is being placed on the Service in a number of areas. These include the large-scale inspection and oversight of buildings that need remediation in response to the findings from the Grenfell Tower fire, and the impact of the climate emergency, which is causing larger, more prolonged incidents, such as wide-area flooding.
The Mayor pledged to maintain firefighter numbers above the 1121 that were in post in 2017. We now have 1222 firefighters in Greater Manchester, which will increase again to 1246 over the coming year. The Mayor also pledged not to reduce the number of fire engines below 50, a commitment that has been maintained despite budgetary pressures.
You can also have your say on the future direction of GMFRS by completing a short online survey as part of the Fire Plan 2025-29 public consultation, which is open until 10th March gmconsult.org/gmfrs/fire-plan/
Article Published: 28/01/2025 12:35 PM