Meeting to be held on Monday 2 February 2026
Contact for further information – Steven Brown, Director of Corporate Services
Tel: 01772 866804
Executive SummaryLancashire Fire and Rescue Service is currently consulting the public on its council tax precept for the year ahead.
The purpose of this report is to update members of the planning committee on the consultation plan following announcement of the provisional local government finance settlement in December 2025.
Recommendation(s)Members are asked to note the report.
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A consultation plan is being implemented to consult the public on Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service’s council tax precept for the year ahead. The consultation aims to understand levels of support for a proposed increase in 2026-27 which equates to £5 per year (on a Band D property).
An online consultation was launched on 11 December 2025 at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/budget.
Stakeholders from organisations including local authorities, town and parish councils, and community groups have been invited to take part in the consultation, along with approximately 100,000 subscribers to the Service’s In The Know email newsletter. It is also being publicised in news outlets, on social media platforms and through internal communication channels within the organisation.
In a mid-point review on 15 January 2026, there had been 934 responses.
The consultation closes at 5pm on Wednesday 4 February 2026. A full report will be provided to the Authority as an appendix to the budget report at its budget meeting on Monday 23 February 2026.
Approval to undertake the annual budget consultation is delegated to the Chair of the CFA in consultation with the Treasurer and the Chief Fire Officer, due to the limited amount of time between the announcement of the local government financial settlement and the Authority’s budget meeting.
Ascertaining support levels for the Service’s financial plans and views from communities and stakeholders is essential to provide opportunity to influence development of their fire and rescue service and will be used to inform decision making.
None.
An equality impact assessment has been undertaken and equalities monitoring is in place to understand if the consultation has reached all parts of the community.
Data Protection (GDPR)
Will the proposal(s) involve the processing of personal data? Y/N
None.
The consultation is being delivered by the Service’s in-house corporate communications team using its departmental budget without any additional resources.
Consultation over the council tax precept is a statutory requirement.
The consultation plan is aligned to the Service’s consultation strategy which is reviewed annually by the Planning Committee to ensure that it continues to meet statutory requirements and incorporate good practice.
Paper: Council Tax Precept Consultation
Date: 17 November 2025
Contact: Steven Brown, Director of Corporate Services and Treasurer
Paper: Lancashire Combined Fire Authority Public Consultation Strategy
Date: 3 February 2025
Contact: Steve Healey, Deputy Chief Fire Officer