
Councillors have agreed a small increase in the charge for fire and rescue services in West Yorkshire.
The precept rise, which equates to 3.5p extra per week for the average council tax payer, will enable West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (WYFRA) to bridge the funding shortfall.
The Fire Authority will lose a further £1.39m of grant in 2018/2019 as part of the four year Central Government settlement, which will see an overall grant reduction of £7.9m by 2019/2020.
The Authority will use £1.975m of revenue balances to limit the increased cost to council tax payers to 2.99 per cent.
The service says that the long-term implications of this increase combined with the planned use of revenue balances means the authority can continue whole-time firefighter recruitment throughout 2018/2019.