Policing and Fire & Rescue Service Precept for 2025/2026

Updated 11/02/2025

The Essex Police, Fire and Crime Panel today (Feb 4th 2025) approved a proposal from Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, to raise the Essex Police Precept by £13.95 a year, or 27p a week, a 5.66% increase for a Band D property, taking the yearly total to £260.37p or £5 a week.

Tough choices have also been made prior to setting the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service precept following the loss of the Services Grant and Funding Guarantee for 2025/26. This resulted in a reduction of £1.5m placing significant financial pressure on the service.

The proposed precept will allow the service to deliver its proposed Community Risk Management Plan which is focussed on delivering the PFCC’s Fire and Rescue Plan priorities and making Essex safer. This includes increasing the amount of prevention and protection activity it carries out, specifically the number of home safety checks delivered by operational crews to the most vulnerable people. The service will will also continue to invest in partnership activity such as the Community Wellbeing Officers scheme.

The panel also approved a proposal from the PFCC to raise Essex County Fire and Rescue Service precept by £4.95 a year, or 9p a week, a 5.99% increase for a Band D property taking the yearly total to £87.57, or £1.68p a week.

Together these precept increases amount to £18.90p each year, or 36p a week for a band D property.

The proposed precepts were informed by a public Precept Survey hosted by the PFCC between Friday 25th October 2024 to Monday 9th December 2024.

The information above is included in your Council Tax information which is sent to you by your Council Tax billing authority.

2025/26 Precept Leaflet

Previous leaflets are available to download below.