Having been a public servant for 40 years, both as a police officer and in our NHS, I stood as your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on a simple, yet important principle - to improve the public services that protect Cumbria and keep us all safe.
Coming into office, I inherited ageing fire buildings and fleet which had received little investment over a number of years. My priority for Cumbria Fire and Rescue is to ensure that there is a balanced budget and that the Fire Service has the resources to keep you safe when you need them most.
Protecting the residents of and the visitors to our great county is paramount. This can only be done properly if we have the correct funding.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service provides a good service to our communities across Cumbria, from emergency responses to fires and rescues, to prevention work with communities, providing information and advice to our most vulnerable residents, or by visiting schools and colleges to educate our children about potential dangers. The service will always be there to respond to emergencies. However, they need the support of you, the public, to continue to provide the best possible service in all areas of their work.
In preparing the Fire budget for 2025-2026, I have to set the amount of council tax for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. This is your contribution towards the cost of Fire and Rescue Services in Cumbria. Fire is funded by around 38% from government grants and 62% from you, in the form of local council tax. It is therefore important, and only right, that I ask you what you want and what you are willing to pay for.
It is with public safety at the forefront of my mind that I am proposing to increase the fire element of council tax by 9.5p a week (£4.95 a year) for a Band D property.
This, I believe is a necessary step to ensure that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is there for you when you need them and is on a sound financial footing to invest in new technologies and ensure future generations are kept safe.
In my role, I see day in day out the vital work our firefighters undertake to keep you, the residents of Cumbria safe and I do not want to see their ability to deal with emergencies reduced. I want to ensure that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is in the greatest possible position to continue to keep our communities across Cumbria safe.
I hope you will support us in our efforts to ensure Cumbria Fire and Rescue continues to be an excellent service that you can rely on in your time of need.
You can read more about my plans on my website - Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner - Making Cumbria Even Safer
David Allen
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria