Council Tax: an update report to the public
As a public service, we are committed to being both efficient and effective in our duty to help keep you safe. We are proud to have consistently achieved high inspection ratings, but we also face a new and evolving set of risks that require long-term strategic investment.
Council Tax is a significant source of funding for the services we provide. It currently funds around 66p in every £1 of our total day-to-day spending budget. The Government has stated it now expects local authorities to fund more of their services from local taxation and, therefore, expects Council Tax to increase each year to help fund vital services.
The amount you pay for Council Tax is split between different organisations that provide services in your area. The proportion of your Council Tax that goes to Kent Fire and Rescue Service is called a precept. Your local council collects money for all the services (Parish Council, District or Borough Council, Kent County Council, Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service) and then passes it on to them. You can see a breakdown of what you pay for on your Council Tax bill, which lists the amounts going to each organisation, including Kent Fire and Rescue Service.
Currently, a Band D property pays a precept of £94.86 per year (around £1.82 per week) for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which is around 4% of your overall Council Tax bill.
Learn how your contribution through Council Tax will not only enable a continuation of this high-performing service but will provide essential funding for vital investment in our shared future safety.
Tell us what you think...
Below you will find further details including information about our commitment to efficiency and effectiveness, highlights of where we have been investing your money, and the different options relating to Council Tax. Alternatively, you can go straight to our survey to give us your views on the Council Tax options for 2026/27 and which option would you be prepared to pay?
Our commitment to efficiency and effectiveness
Recent inspections by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) gave us an “outstanding” rating for “making the Fire and Rescue Service affordable now and in the future”. Among the positive feedback, HMICFRS cited our “good use of public money”, our “plans to use reserves sustainably”, and our use of “transformation programmes to improve effectiveness”.
These scores are a testament to the dedication of our teams and the strength of our strategic planning. Our effectiveness is measured by our ability to protect people and property, from rapid response times to our proactive prevention work in our local communities. Our efficiency is judged on how well we manage our resources to deliver these services, ensuring that we provide the best possible value for your money.
This high performance is a result of continuous training, research and development, robust community risk assessments, and a relentless focus on improving our operational capabilities. Our remit is now broader and more complex than ever before, such as attending to wildfires, water rescues and flooding emergencies.
A changing landscape
We consulted with you on the risks facing Kent and Medway and created a four year strategy – our Community Risk Management Plan. We summarise below some of the first-year actions we have been doing to deliver that plan for you.
The risks facing our communities are changing, and so must our approach. While traditional fires remain a core part of our work, new and emerging threats are placing significant demands on our service.
Below are some of the highlights where we have been investing your money:
Climate change
The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as wildfires and widespread flooding, require specialist equipment and intensive, prolonged operational deployments.
Modern construction
The use of new building materials and modern construction methods presents new challenges for people in their homes, and for our firefighters, which means continuous training and investment in advanced technologies.
Alternative fuels and energy systems
The increase in numbers of electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries, introduces novel and complex fire risks that require specialised knowledge and equipment to manage safely.
Increased demand
Our services are increasingly called upon for a wide range of non-fire incidents, from road traffic collisions to medical emergencies, often in collaboration with other blue-light services.
Fires in the home
In 2024/25, we saw a 13% increase in the number of accidental fires in the home, when compared to the previous year. Reducing these fires remains one of our top priorities.
Investing in new, fit for purpose, buildings ...
to replace those that are at end of life. We will be building a new workshop facility to maintain and repair our fire engines and specialist vehicles.
Why your Council Tax is an essential investment
The reality is that central government funding for Fire and Rescue Services has faced significant reductions in recent years. As a result, Council Tax has become a more crucial part of our funding, providing us with the stable and predictable income required to plan for the future.
The funds generated by your Council Tax contribution are used to run a modern, resilient, professional and effective fire and rescue service. Your money will directly enable us to:
- Invest in new equipment: To respond to the emerging risks of wildfires, floods, and new energy technologies.
- Maintain training standards: To ensure our crews are equipped with the skills needed to tackle the complexities of modern incidents.
- Fund prevention programmes: Our community safety work, including home fire safety visits and educational campaigns, are a crucial part of our strategy to stop incidents from taking place.
- Ensure our workforce: We need to attract and retain the best talent, providing them with the resources they need to keep you safe.
Conclusion
We are incredibly proud of our team and our high standards of service. The Council Tax precept that funds Kent Fire and Rescue Service is vital to ensure we can not only maintain our high performance but also adapt to the significant challenges of an evolving world. It is a direct investment in your safety and the resilience of our entire community. Thank you for your continued support.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about our work, please contact us on 01622 692 121
Council Tax options
Each option has different implications. A freeze or lower increase would mean a larger budget gap, requiring more savings or reductions in services. A higher increase would raise more funding, therefore, reducing the amount of cost savings or reductions in services that would be required to balance the budget.
Option 1
Freeze Council Tax for one year. (This option would result in a larger budget gap and require significant cuts to services, including the front line).
Option 2
Increase Council Tax by an amount just under the referendum limit (for the Fire Authority this limit is expected to be £5 for a Band D household). A £5 increase for a Band D household equates to an increase of just over 9p per week. (This option would reduce the level of cuts that would be required to balance the budget).
Option 3
As an alternative option, having read about the significant challenges we face over the medium-term, what Council Tax increase would you be prepared to pay in 2026/27? (To give you some context, every 1% increase in the Council Tax charge equates to just under 2p per week for a Band D household).
Go to our Survey
If you haven't already done so, please go to our survey and give us your views on the Council Tax options for 2026/27 and which option you would be prepared to pay.