Proposals to increase funding to further improve Greater Manchester’s fire service

The majority of homes across the city-region fall within Bands A and B. The proposal is for a £3.89 rise 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.

Mr 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.”

Additional funding will support the continued expansion of GMFRS and support it to maintain some of the best response times in the country.

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.”