Residents to pay an extra £5 for policing

BIRMINGHAM taxpayers will have to pay an extra £5 per year to help pay for policing after the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel approved plans to push up council tax bills.

Panel members unanimously approved a plan to increase the policing precept by 10p a week for a Band D council taxpayer.

It means the precept – part of council tax that goes to help pay for the police – will increase by an average of £5 a year from April.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the increase would maintain police funding at its current level and help to fill a gap in funding from the Government.

The former Chancellor gave forces with historically low council tax precepts the ability to raise the precept by £5, despite two per cent caps across the country. The £5 increase means the local precept will in fact rise by 4.5 per cent.

The provisional grant settlement from the Home Office indicates that West Midlands Police would be receiving £6 million less in government funding than last year.

Mr Jamieson said: “The public have made it clear to me that despite government cuts they want local neighbourhood policing to be protected.

“To protect neighbourhood policing I am recruiting 800 officers, 150 PCSOs and 200 specialist police staff.”