FIRE chiefs will today be warned of “substantial” job cuts as they prepare to freeze the amount they charge Hampshire residents.

Compulsory redundancies are not being ruled out at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, which needs to save millions of pounds amid tough government spending plans.

Fire bosses have predicted tough times ahead for the service, but have ruled out cuts in front line staff.

Finance bosses want to avoid upping their share of council tax next year – a move that would see them awarded extra central government cash.

That would mean residents living in a band D-rated property would carry on paying £61.38 a year for emergency fire services in Hampshire.

The proposal comes amid fears budget shortfalls could reach up to £9.4m at the service by 2015.

Earlier this year the Daily Echo revealed how a controversial review of services was under way at the organisation, which included possible job losses. The number of posts that may have to go has yet to be revealed.

However, a report going before members of Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority says: “Given the scale of the savings required, it is inevitable that substantial reductions in staffing across the service will be required. The aim will be to avoid making compulsory redundancies where this is possible, but they cannot be ruled out.”

The warning comes just two months after the new coalition government announced a 25 per cent reduction in its handouts to fire authorities over the next four years.

Last month, around 30 firefighters from the county joined thousands of their colleagues outside Parliament to protest against cuts.

Union bosses claimed workers were angry at potential cuts to frontline services, a pay freeze and changes to pensions and conditions of service.

In Hampshire, there has been a freeze on recruitment since the end of last year.

A voluntary redundancy scheme is set to be drawn up over the coming months ahead of a Human Resources meeting in January.

Cllr Royston Smith, chairman of Hampshire Fire Authority, vowed that frontline services would be protected. He said: “There will be some job cuts – back office staff – but they will not be significant.

“The important thing to the public is ensuring there are people to come and put out fires. If push came to shove we would stop some of the preventative work that is currently done, like fitting smoke alarms, but that hasn’t happened at the moment. We do not have wholesale job cuts on the table. I think the wording in this report could have been better.”