Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, is inviting opinions on the proposals to increase the council tax bill by 10p a week – raising funds equivalent to 70 police officers.
Background
Government cuts to police funding have hit Greater Manchester Police particularly hard, with the service losing £180m since 2010. Consequently, there are now are 2,000 fewer police officers on the streets. In Greater Manchester, about 80% of the police budget comes from the Government and the rest is from the police element of your council tax. Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester’s Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, is responsible for setting the amount that households pay for policing through their council tax.
Where are we now?
The Government has said that cuts to policing are unsustainable. They have agreed not to cut the policing budget this year, although additional savings of £70m still need to be found over the next three years. However, their calculations make the assumption that the police element of your council tax by £5 in the coming year. That’s for the average Band D property. In order to avoid further damaging cuts to policing, this modest rise in council tax is the only realistic option the Government has given.
The proposal
Last year, the average band D household in Greater Manchester paid £152.30 per year towards policing. This year Tony Lloyd is proposing to increase this amount by £5 – less than 10 pence per week – which will amount to an additional £3.5 million for Greater Manchester Police. That’s the equivalent of 70 police officers. The actual increase will depend on your council tax band:
For further information and to give your comments, visit: www.gmpcc.org.uk/counciltax
