FIRE chiefs in County Durham and Darlington are reducing the budget for the next financial year by almost £700,000.
The budget has been set at £29,336, a reduction of £696,000 from the 2013/14 figure.
It takes into account further Government funding cuts totalling almost £1m from April.
The fire authority for County Durham and Darlington has agreed to increase council tax precept by 1.9 percent.
Durham County Councillor Michele Hodgson, authority chairman, said: “We have again been able to set a budget that does not increase risk in our local communities.
“The increase in council tax helps us to balance the budget and means that there will be no increase in risk for local communities in 2014/15.
“In setting this budget for 2014/15, operational response standards in County Durham and Darlington will remain unchanged."
The increase in council tax represents £1.14 a year for the majority of our council tax payers, the equivalent of 2p per week.
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