Council taxpayers will have to find an extra £7 to fund West Yorkshire Fire Service next year.

The increase is, say the authority, the equivalent of less than a packet of crisps a day. But the Tories on the fire authority hit out, saying the rise was of more than 28 per cent.

Councillor Ray Mitchell, chairman of the West Yorkshire Fire Authority, said the increase was needed to protect existing services and meet the likely cost of the national firefighters' award.

The increase - agreed at a meeting of the authority in Birkenshaw yesterday - will mean the authority has £80.7 million for the next financial year.

"Although ACAS is still trying to broker a deal between the employers and the Fire Brigades Union, we feel it is prudent at this stage to budget for the offer tabled before Christmas which will add some £2.4 million to our costs.

"In addition we must find £2 million to £3 million to meet extra pension commitments and new accounting standards."

He said that in total, external factors beyond the authority's control would add more than £5 million to the cost of a standstill budget in 2003-04.

Chief fire officer Phil Toase said although ministers appeared committed to driving forward service modernisation as part of any national pay settlement, it would be extremely unsafe to assume any savings could be realised as early as 2003-04.