Council tax payers in Kent are due to see another rise in their bills.

The Kent and Medway Fire and Rescue Authority (KMFRA) is proposing to raise its share of residents' council tax bill by just less than £5 for the average household

The body - responsible for the provision of fire and rescue services in the county - will meet on Tuesday (February 21) to discuss the plans to raise the precept by 6.01%.

This means the average Band D household will see a £4.95 increase on their yearly bill, beginning in April.

Residents' council tax bills, depending on where they live, are made up of different precepts which include funding for the county council, their local authority, fire and rescue services, the police, and parish councils.

A report submitted to the KMFRA members - mostly councillors from Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council - says it has a budget requirement of £85.3 million this year, of which, £57.7 million will come from taxpayers.

The authority is contending with an overspend of £424,000 due to higher-than-budgeted pay awards for non-operational staff.

It is also proposing spends on a number of projects this coming financial year, which include upgrading IT systems in fire engines, and replacing vehicles.

The service is redeveloping its Ashford site on the Henwood Industrial Estate to the tune of £1.4 million.

It is set to include a state-of-the-art live fire training facility.

KMFRA is also looking at options to develop its sites in Rochester and Maidstone.

Last year, the authority approved an increase of 1.89% or £1.53 on average.

Earlier this month, the Kent and Medway police and crime panel approved plans to raise the precept which funds Kent Police by an average of £15 a year.

And last week, residents living in KCC learned they will be paying an extra £73 a year on average after councillors approved another increase.

Medway Council will meet next Thursday, February 23 to confirm its budget, but it is proposing to increase bills by 4.994%.

The Chancellor made a provision within his Autumn Statement last year for some councils to increase council tax by up to 5% without the need for a referendum from April 2023.

The Provisional Local Government Finance Statement then confirmed fire and rescue services could increase their precepts by up to £5.