On your bill this will appear at the "Mayoral General Precept". The vast majority of this goes to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. The service is funded partly by grants from central Government and partly by council tax paid by the residents of Greater Manchester. The precept has been increased to ensure there is no impact on frontline fire cover and to enable the continuation of the flagship A Bed Every Night, provide free bus travel within Greater Manchester for 16-18 year olds via an extension to the Our Pass pilot and implementation of Bus Reform.

Over the course of the year, for the average Band B property, the fire proportion of the precept is £55.38. To give an idea of how your money is spent, for the period 1st April 2021 to December 2021, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service:

  • Responded to 8,306 fires across Greater Manchester
  • Attended 1,620 road traffic collisions
  • Attended 3,531 incidents that required specialist fire service support
  • Rescued 1,530 people

In addition to funding the fire service, part of this precept also goes to fund the mayor, plus the functions he is responsible for. Over the course of the year, this is £24.69 for the average Band B bill. This mayoral precept funds:

  • Transport Strategy including Local Transport Plan development and monitoring
  • Administration of Bus Service Operators Grant
  • Developing the new plan for jobs and homes for Greater Manchester
  • Mayoral Development Corporations
  • Costs of the Mayor’s office
  • Grants to District Councils

This year the mayoral precept will fund: the continuation of the Mayor’s successful ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme to reduce rough sleepers across Greater Manchester, the implementation of The Bee Network bus reform plan and continuation of the successful ‘Our Pass’ pilot for all 16-18 year olds.

The mayoral precept per council tax band

Precept Bands Band A Band B Band C Band D Band E Band F Band G Band G
Mayoral General Precept (including fire) 68.63 80.07 91.51 102.95 125.82 148.70 171.58 205.90
Percentage of households in each Band % 44.9 19.8 17.6 9.4 4. 2.1 1.3 0.2

Comparison of Expenditure - breakdown

Year 2021/22 (£000) 2022/23 (£000) Variation (£000)
Gross Expenditure 236,063 255,594 19,531
Income -17,372 -28,718 -11,346
Cost of Service 218,691 226,876 8,185
Capital Financing Charges 2,316 1,692 -624
Revenue Contribution to Capital Outlay 2,700 0 -2,700
Net Service Budget 223,707 228,568 4,861
Contribution to/from Balances -13,645 643 14,288
Budget Requirement 210,062 229,211 19,149
Localised Business Rates -10,297 -9,368 929
Business Rate Baseline -40,353 -40,922 -569
Services Grant 0 -2,209 -2,209
Section 31 Grant – Business Rates -2,594 -5,452 -2,858
Section 31 Grant – pensions -5,605 -5,605 0
Transport - Statutory Charge -86,700 -86,700 0
Collection Fund deficit 6,090 1,192 -4,898
Local Council Tax Scheme -1,853 0 1,853
Council Tax Requirement 68,750 80,147 11,397

Mayoral Expenditure Breakdown 2022/23 (non-fire)

Description 2022/23 £000
Mayoral Direct Costs Incl Corporate Support 1,325
Mayoral Priorities Incl - A Bed Every Night 3,600
Transport Policy & Strategy 3,500
BSOG - grants to operators 11,750
- administration 50
‘Our Pass’ Incl Opportunity Cost 16,200
Sub-Total - Pre additional transport powers 36,425
Bus Reform 15,895
Bus Concessionary Reimbursement 50,000
Supported Bus 32,000
Accessible Transport/Ring & Ride 3,600
Allocation of Bus Operational costs 1,100
Total Including additional transport powers 139,020