THE amount people in south Wales pay for their fire service could go up by almost 3% next year.
Proposals for the 2026-27 budget of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service went before the board of commissioners on Friday, 5th December, asking to agree to consult on a 2.99% increase in the budget.
If approved, the total budget of the fire service would increase from £101.34m in 2025-26 to £104.38m in 2026-27, an increase of £3.03m.
Once updated, population data and the 2.99% increase is added it would see the 10 areas covered by the fire service contribute these amounts to next year’s budget:
The Vale of Glamorgan will see its contribution rise from £8.75m to £9.02m, an increase of £262,274.
Bridgend will rise from £9.53m to £9.8m, a rise of £285,048.
Cardiff will increase from £24.91m to £25.51m, an increase of £741,784.
Caerphilly wil go up from £11.46m to £11.75m, a rise of £341,728.
Newport will go up from £10.62m to £11.15m, a rise of £324,404.
Rhondda Cynon Taf will increase from £15.66m to £16.13m, a rise of £469,208.
Monmouthshire will go up from £6.14m to £6.3m, a rise of £183,418.
Torfaen will increase from £6.06m to £6.25m, a rise of £181,851.
Blaenau Gwent will jump from £4.37m to £4,51m, a rise of £131,140.
Merthyr Tydfil will increase from £3.8m to £3.91m, a rise of £113,942.
The report says the 2.99% increase is above the Welsh Government provisional budget of a 2.7% average increase for councils but excludes their council tax levies.
It says lowering the budget further would require the temporary use of revenue reserves which are already earmarked for key service projects.
It says any use of reserves to reduce the fire levy further will require a commitment to the development of a sustainable and deliverable plan to address future budget levels and acknowledge any consequential impacts on service delivery. Each 1% reduction in the budget increase would require the use of £1.043m in reserves, the report adds.
The report also highlights some of the financial risks in setting next year’s budget which include the chancellor’s budget and its impact on the tax system, the level of inflation for the coming year, in particular around pay increases, the uncertainty of Welsh Government grant funding, the projected in year overspend which will be met from reserves, the need to set a sustainable budget beyond 2026-27, and the potential failure to identify and/or deliver efficiencies in service delivery.
By Anthony Lewis, local democracy reporter
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