Fee hike to protect our ‘thin blue line’
TAXPAYERS could be facing an inflation-busting hike in police charges in order to protect our ‘thin blue line’.
Police commissioner Clive Grunshaw wants people to support a rise of up to 13 per cent in Lancashire Police’s council tax precept, saying they will be unable to fund new officers without a large rise.
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has proposed three different increases in the police precept – the equivalent of 6p, 23p and 40p a week for ‘average’ Band D homes.
For Rossendale residents in Band A, the rises would add £2.07, £7.96 or £13.86 to annual council tax bills.
The police commissioner said the largest rise would generate £8.8m for investment in frontline policing and is equivalent to 173 police officer roles.
The 23p-per-week rise would raise £5.1m to invest in community policing and the contact management centre to improve call handling.
Mr Grunshaw said the proposed drastic rises were a result of govern- ment cuts. He said: “In their announcement before Christmas, they highlighted the need to invest in policing after years of cuts to local budgets, but are passing the buck on to local residents.
“With rising demands on the service, increasing costs through inflation and growing online threats we cannot accept a further reduction in our police budget.”
He added: “Across the county residents tell me that they want to see better investment in policing.
“This would protect officer and staff roles that would otherwise be lost and allow us to invest in a better policing service, fit for the future.”
Rossendale MP Jake Berry said the government had announced a £450m increase in police funding and are ‘empowering’ PCCs to raise their own precepts.
He said: “The police grant is being protected in cash terms while empowering locally elected police and crime commissioners to raise precept contributions by up to £1 a month for a typical household.
“This will mean force budgets will increase by up to £270m nationally.
“It is clear that with more victims of serious, hidden crimes such as domestic abuse, modern slavery and child sexual exploitation coming forward, this has placed greater demand on policing.
“We have responded swiftly to evidence of a shift in demand on forces and we remain committed to helping police improve efficiency by investing in the technology and skills that modern policing will need.”
Haslingden MP Graham Jones said hiking charges was ‘the only option’.