FIRE chiefs expect to hear within the next three weeks whether The Press campaign for fairer funding for the North Yorkshire service has succeeded.

The Government is expected to announce its final funding settlement for fire services across the country before the end of January, following the close of a public consultation last Wednesday.

The Press’ Fight The Fire Cuts campaign has been pressing for a better increase in the grant in 2009/10 and 2010/11 than the 0.5 per cent consecutive rises provisionally proposed last year.

The newspaper’s petition, signed by many hundreds of readers, was handed to the Government by York MP Hugh Bayley last month.

Nine other fire authorities across England are also facing the same below-inflation increase in their grant and demanding a better figure.

North Yorkshire fire chiefs have warned that if the 0.5 per cent settlement was confirmed, it would impact on the service’s ability to give fire prevention and safety advice, and they could not guarantee it would not affect front-line firefighting.

Our petition called for a fairer grant to ensure firefighters could continue to respond to fires and other emergencies, while also delivering a comprehensive fire prevention service.

Mr Bayley revealed last month that Fire Service Minister Sadiq Khan, as well as agreeing to look at raising the basic percentage rise, had also said he would examine a separate claim for fairer funding.

This involved a “transitional grant” which had been given to North Yorkshire and other fire authorities three years ago to help them meet the costs of a higher-than-expected firefighters’ pay settlement.

Mr Bayley said North Yorkshire had been given £362,000, but had had to pay this money back in two instalments over the subsequent two years.

The money had simply been deducted by the Government from its annual grant. The reduced grant had then been used as the base figure from which to calculate the 0.5 per cent rise.

Mr Bayley said there was a risk that the amount would end up being paid back again and again, making it the “most expensive loan ever.”

He said he would be angry if the Government did not re-assess the amounts paid to all authorities in the light of this claim.