Delivering policing in Northumbria

6th February 2015

A proposal to apply a small increase to the police element (precept) of Council Tax has been supported by the Northumbria Police & Crime Panel today.
Northumbria’s Police & Crime Commissioner Vera Baird QC, asked for the views of the region’s communities about whether she should increase the precept this year.
Northumbria Police is forecasting a total Government grant reduction of £28.9m over the next three years; the region has the lowest council tax precept in the country (Band D tax charge is £86.61) as opposed to the national average for Band D of £171.80.

In the survey 53% of residents supported the 1.99% increase in the police element of the Council Tax from April 2015. The extra £635,000 raised through this increase will go directly to the police service and be invested to benefit the communities served by Northumbria Police, keeping at least 21 police officers on the streets of Northumbria.

Vera Baird said:“The ongoing Government cuts continue to hit Northumbria Police budget hard.

“As your Commissioner I have to ensure the police have the resources to cut crime and deliver excellent neighbourhood policing.

“To ensure this happens the precept has increased by a few pence a week and I can assure residents that all the money raised will go straight to Northumbria Police to support the work it does to keep our communities safe.”

The majority of households in Northumbria are in Council Tax Band A where the increase equates to an extra 2p per week.

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