Andy Burnham has unveiled plans to increase the portion of Greater Manchester’s council tax which helps fund police and fire services.
The proposal would see the ‘police precept’ part of the council tax rise by £10.11 to £199.34 for a Band B property per year, while the ‘fire precept’ would rise rise further by £3.89 to £63.16 for the same property. Under the proposals, the ‘mayor’s precept’ – which goes towards bus transport and tackling homelessness – would remain frozen at £24.69 for a Band B property for a second year.
Individual councils set their own council tax rates, but the bills also include additional ‘precepts’ to fund other services. The proposed increases would fund more cops and another fire engine, said Greater Manchester mayor Mr Burnham, who said the hikes were to make up for a below inflation rises to government grants.
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Mr Burnham, said: “I am proposing to freeze the mayor’s precept for the coming financial year, recognising people are still under pressure with the cost of living. We need to think very carefully before we ask people for more money.
“I am really proud of the work of our emergency services in Greater Manchester, but they need more support to help them continue to improve.
“It is unfortunate that we haven’t received the funding package we needed from central government which doesn’t fully cover inflation. This has left me with no choice but to propose an increase to the police and fire precepts, but I don’t want to further add to the local tax burden which is why I am proposing to freeze the mayor’s precept.
“I have seen first-hand the significant improvements GMP have made over the last year, culminating in an overall positive (watchdog) inspection. GMP call answering is the fastest in the country, officers are providing a much improved response to emergency incidents, neighbourhood crime is falling and there have been big successes in disrupting organised crime.
“However, we are still on the journey to make GMP the best force in the country and combined with real terms cut in the national policing grant, I am compelled to ask our local council taxpayers to pay a modest increase to help GMP continue to provide the service our communities deserve to keep them safe. I want us to have a police force that everyone can be proud of that is victim-centred and reduces crime.
“Similarly, with (Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service), there have been huge improvements in recent years, but we want to go further and invest in more fire engines and protection and prevention work to keep our communities safe.”
The extra money for GMP would see the force ‘continue to progress as the fastest improving force in the country’ with a further 30 cops in front line roles, increased policing of the transport network and a renewed focus on arresting more criminals, particularly sex offenders, according to the mayor’s office.
Three-quarters of police funding comes from a central government grants and the rest from the police precept. The proposed government grant rise is 1.5 per cent below inflation, said the mayor’s office which said it aims to return GMP to the number of cops it had before austerity began in 2010.
The proposed hike in the fire precept is to bridge a ‘budget gap due to inflationary pressures’ and will go to maintaining the number of firefighters above 2017 numbers and pay for another fire engine, according to the mayor’s office.
The public can respond to the police precept consultation at www.gmconsult.org from 4 January 2024. Final recommendations across all budgets will be considered for approval by the special budget meeting of Greater Manchester Combined Authority on February 9.
The majority of properties in Greater Manchester fall within Band A and B.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
