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The Service
Council Tax Information - 2010/2011...
We want to make life safer for everyone by reducing risks in our local communities. We have continued to focus on our five priorities to achieve this:
All of our aims and objectives fit into these priority areas so that our efforts are concentrated on the most important issues.
If you want to know more about our plans for the next three years please take a look at our latest Fire and Rescue Service Plan. You can see it on our website: www.hantsfire.gov.uk/plan. Or you can call us on 023 8064 4000.
We want to be the best fire and rescue service in the country and 2009/10 has been particularly successful for us.
We have made further progress in reviewing how we organise and deliver our services. We have reduced from four directorates to three to ensure we work in the most effective and efficient way possible.
We have successfully taken our first steps in reducing the Service’s carbon footprint. We achieved a 4% reduction in emissions – equivalent to 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is a good start towards the challenging 20% reduction target we are aiming to achieve by 2012.
With arson still the biggest single cause of fire in the UK, our Arson Task Force is making great progress in reducing the number of fires started deliberately.
The number of arrests we make is seven times higher than the national average.
We know that sprinklers save lives and have been working hard to promote their installation in the homes of vulnerable people. Working in partnership with Southern Water and Sentinel Housing Association, we have been successful in getting sprinklers installed as part of the regeneration project for Bishop’s Green near Basingstoke. This makes life safer for the residents.
Our approach of sending a specialist team to deal with animal rescues is a cost-effective way of ensuring public safety and animal welfare. Our animal rescue specialists are now regarded as the most expert and advanced in the country.
Our Co-responder partnership with South Central Ambulance Service continues to prove successful and with further schemes being implemented in 2010, we anticipate we will deal with more than 2,500 calls, significantly contributing to patients’ chances of survival.
We think so, and hope you will agree.
The budget for 2010/11 is £68.2 million. This is 2.25% more than the equivalent budget last year with most of the increase arising from national pay awards for staff and the cost of inflation.
The Authority is committed to keeping Council Tax increases as low as possible so we constantly review how our services are delivered to make them more efficient. By March 2010 we expect to add £1.211 million to the £2.242 million savings achieved in the previous year making a total of £3.453 million. We have invested these savings to improve services and reduce pressure on Council Tax. The impact of these savings on a Band D property is £6 per year. This compares well with the average saving for all fire and rescue authorities of £4.
In 2010/11 we plan to deliver efficiency savings of £820,000 by reducing staff costs and reviewing our purchasing processes.
Here is how we arrived at our budget for the year ahead:
| Detail | £'000 |
|---|---|
| Budget for 2009/10 | 66,659 |
| Inflation | 1,167 |
| Service developments | 500 |
| Efficiency improvements | -820 |
| Contribution to reserves | 654 |
| Budget for 2010/11 | 68,160 |
| Which is financed by: | |
| National business rates | 25,555 |
| Government grant | 3,711 |
| Surplus on collection funds | 245 |
| Balance from council tax | 38,649 |
We are increasing our part of the Council Tax this year by 1.8%. This is well below the increase in state pensions. It is important that you know what this means in cash terms. For a Band D property the increase is just two pence per week.
The table below shows you exactly how much you will pay for your fire and rescue service in 2010/11.
| Band | Cost |
|---|---|
| Band A | £40.92 |
| Band B | £47.74 |
| Band C | £54.56 |
| Band D | £61.38 |
| Band E | £75.02 |
| Band F | £88.66 |
| Band G | £102.30 |
| Band H | £122.76 |
Full budget details and information about how your Council Tax is spent are available on our website: www.hantsfire.gov.uk/budget. If you have any questions, please either call us on 023 8062 6867 or email finance@hantsfire.gov.uk.
Over 75% of our budget is spent on employing staff - our most valuable resource. The remainder is spent on essential supplies and services, transport, property and information and communications technology, as well as funding our capital programmes.
Every year we spend about £2.5 million on our vehicle replacement programme, to ensure we have a modern, well-maintained fleet of vehicles. We invest £500,000 in improvements to our buildings and the new fire station at Winchester will be completed in 2011.
| Detail | £'000 |
|---|---|
| Preventing incidents | 4,554 |
| Protecting life and property | 1,417 |
| Responding to emergencies | 59,676 |
| Borrowing costs | 1,129 |
| Capital paid for from revenue | 730 |
| Increase in reserves | 654 |
| Total | 68,160 |
Download the full version of the council tax leaflet 2010/11... 
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