Council tax will go up for people living in Plymouth after both the Devon and Somerset fire authority and Devon and Cornwall police authority voted in favour of increasing their proportions.

Although the city council is yet to decide whether to freeze or increase our council tax, some of the money goes to the police and some to the fire service.

The proportion paid to the fire service will increase by 3 percent, which the authority says will rule out any significant cuts to firefighters or fire stations.

The move has been welcomed by the Fire Brigade Union - and chair of Devon and Somerset's Fire authority Mark Healey says the public have also shown their support. During a consultation, he says members of the public said they would rather pay more council tax than let the fire service be affected by cuts.

The fire authority also approved controversial plans to increase members' allowances by 25 percent.

That decision has been criticised by unions who say it's 'insensitive' when firefighters and other members of staff are taking pay freezes or getting a maximum pay rise of 1 percent.

The allowances cover the cost involved with being a member of the authority such as travel expenses.

Meanwhile, the Devon and Cornwall police authority also voted in favour of increasing their proportion of council tax - after a lengthy meeting.

It means the amount paid to the police force will increase by 2 percent, which works out at less than five pounds more per year for the average band D property.

Police unions have welcomed the decision saying it will protect frontline services.

Chair of Devon and Cornwall's police authority Mike Bull says they had to consider the long term effects because freezing council tax, and taking the government's grant to do so, would've had a disastrous effect on the police budget in future years. He says it would've meant the end of neighbourhood policing as we know it, as further cuts would've had to be made to police officers.