5.5% rise in police precept on council tax

A 5.5% INCREASE in the South Wales Police precept has been agreed, with concerns raised about the burden being placed on council tax payers.

The South Wales Police and Crime Panel voted in favour of the proposed increase by nine votes to three at its meeting on February 3.

The proposals will see an increase of £1.25 a month in the police precept for Band D properties, an 83p increase for Band A and a 97p increase for Band B.

The base precept income will be worth £135.9m and base funding for next year stands at £320.4m with £327.9m needed to balance the books, so there is a £7.5m budget gap which would have been closer to £12m without the pay freeze from the UK Government, said the force’s finance officer.

The report that went before the panel said that 68% of the residents in the South Wales Police area are below Band D and the majority would pay between 19p and 26p extra per week, excluding receipt of any council tax discounts or benefits.

It added that South Wales Police will continue to have belowaverage cost for policing in Wales in terms of Band D property and is mid-table in terms of percentage of precept to budget, across England and Wales.

The report also said that the Home Office has given “flexibility” to police and crime commissioners in England to increase the precept by £15 for a Band D property, without the need for a referendum.

The total police precept on council tax in 2021-22 for South Wales Police will be worth £144.2m.

South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said: “I don’t think that it’s right to be shifting the burden of policing from central taxation, the income tax funds that go to central government, on to local council tax.”

He added: “There is a shift that has happened over the last few years between a burden on central taxpayers and a burden on local taxpayers. I don’t agree with that.”

A NEW variant of Covid-19 would be enough to close schools in Wales after they reopen later this month, the First Minister has said.

Foundation phase schoolchildren aged three to seven will return to classrooms in Wales from February 22, along with some older learners on vocational courses.

But Mark Drakeford told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme that the decision could be reversed if “things were to go against us”.

Mr Drakeford said: “The advice to us from our chief medical officer and scientists is that you should, in these early stages, always take measures that could be reversed quickly if you needed to do that.

“If there were to be unintended consequences of having three to seven-yearolds back into school, then, of course, we would be able to go into reverse.”

He said Wales was in a position to allow the youngest children back into school as a result of its national lockdown which began shortly before Christmas.

But he stressed that return was a “tentative” first step, which would be closely monitored.

Mr Drakeford added: “We want this to be the first step on the journey to getting more children back into the classroom.

“But if things were to go against us, if a new variant were to appear for example, then we could go back to the position we are in today.”

Plaid Cymru’s leader Adam Price, meanwhile, said Covid-19 cases should be reduced even further before lockdown is lifted, as another wave would be “disastrous” for the economy.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “Now is the time to ensure we have steady progress and avoid the possibility of a third or fourth wave, which would be not just disastrous in terms of public health, but also in terms of economy.”