FIRE chiefs expect to find out next week if North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service will escape three years of cuts in Government funding.

The Press revealed earlier this month how a deputation of senior officials from the county asked a minister why the service was set to receive three below-inflation increases in its grant.

The Government has proposed rises of only one per cent, 0.5 per cent and 0.5 per cent over the next three years. A one per cent rise equates to an extra £127,000 on top of this year's grant of £12.7 million.

The figure contrasts with many neighbouring brigades, such as Humberside, which is set to receive a 5.8 per cent increase next year, followed by 3.5 and 3.3 per cent in the following two years, and West Yorkshire, which is set to receive a 3.2 per cent rise next year, followed by two and 1.9 per cent.

The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has warned job losses are likely unless the Government stumps up more cash.

Graeme Willis, brigade chair of the North Yorkshire FBU, who is based at Acomb fire station, said earlier this month the service was in "serious trouble."

He said it had already lost 32 full-time firefighters over the past five years, and at York, Harrogate and Scarborough fire stations, there were only six or seven firefighters on a night-shift when there should be nine or ten.

Service officials, including chief fire officer Nigel Hutchinson, asked Local Government Minister Ian Wright why North Yorkshire increase was so much poorer than other services were expecting.

They said after the meeting that even if the worst case scenario of a one per cent increase and half a per cent for the two subsequent years went ahead, frontline services would not be affected for the coming year.

Chief fire officer Nigel Hutchinson said over the next 12 months, the service would be looking at the longer term implications of the funding settlement and the needs of the service.

"Clearly, it would not be sensible to speculate on the long-term implications of the settlement at this time as it is too early to tell what impact it might have on future development plans."

Ian Young, director of corporate services at North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, dismissed union claimes that lives would be lost as a result of any Government cuts and claimed the situation was "manageable."

A fire service spokeswoman said today that it expected the final decision from the Government some time next week. She said the service had been given no indication as to the Government's decision, which would be final.