FIRE CALL ELEMENT OF STANDARD SPENDING ASSESSMENT

Early day motion 571, tabled 13 December 2001 by Paul Truswell (Labour). Signed by 24 members.

That this House welcomes the Government's plans to remove the perverse fire call element of the standard spending assessment from 2003/04; nevertheless expresses grave concern at its impact in 2002/03 on some fire authorities, such as West Yorkshire, whom it will penalise for reducing genuine and bogus fire calls; regrets that the impact in West Yorkshire will be an ú800,000 grant shortfall that will contribute to a council tax precepts increase of around 14 per cent on a Band D property; and calls on the Government to mitigate the loss of grant by averaging the call factor over the previous six years.

Signatures by party: Labour 23, Liberal Democrat 1.