Hike in council tax on cards by police
FAMILIES are being asked if they would be willing to pay £1 a month to help bridge police funding gaps.
The county’s police and crime commissioner Lord Willy Bach has launched a survey asking opinions on the £12 a year bump in the police portion of the council tax levy.
He says the increase could raise an extra £2.4 million for the constabulary.
A rise of 1.99% is already on the cards but the Government has urged all police forces to consider a bigger increase.
The £1 a month levy would mean an additional 4.4% rise which would bring in a total of £3.5 million should he take that option. However, to impose the rise, residents must be in favour.
Lord Bach said: “It is my duty to ensure an effective and efficient police service for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
“Since I took up this role, the Chief Constable and I have been resolute in our calls for an increase in funding for Leicestershire Police but the police grant continues to decline in real terms. However, now the Government has given PCCs the flexibility to raise desperately-needed additional funds through the policing element of the council tax.
“I would like to hear what local people feel about this proposal, which will see local council tax payers paying up to £1 per month more towards policing, so I urge people to visit my website and complete the short survey.
“I do believe that this decision recognises that police forces, including Leicestershire, need additional funding to protect neighbourhood policing, to boost counter-terrorism activity and to provide new technology enhance efficiency.
“Increasing council tax is never an easy choice but with no alternative source of income to plug the funding gap we are left with little alternative in the interests of the longterm safety of our city, county and Rutland.
“The Government has said police forces will have access to an extra £450 million in 2018 but what they are not being clear on is that it will be raised entirely on the backs of local council tax-payers.
“And while the money will be helpful it will not mean an end to our fund- to ing problems.”
In 2017/18 the budget for policing Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland was set at £171.6 million, of which two-thirds is from central Government, with a third coming from local tax-payers through the policing element of the council tax.
A £1 a month increase would see council tax-payers living in a Band D property pay an annual total of £199.23 in 2018/19 towards policing. This year, a Band D household paid £187.23. Liberal Democrat Leicestershire county councillor Michael Mullaney said: “The Con- servatives are ignoring calls from senior officers to increase investment in our police.
“The impact of this cut in police budgets will be felt in our communities and in our streets.
“With crime rising, the government should have increased police budgets in real terms.
“Even the Conservatives’ attempt at a stealth council tax rise won’t be enough to protect local police forces.
“I’m genuinely shocked that ministers are ignoring the alarming rise in serious crime with this shortsighted decision.”