COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

West Midlands council tax payers are set to see £12 added to their bills as part of Home Office plans to fund the police



But West Midlands Police, one of the most cash-strapped forces in the country, will get no new money from the Government, it has been revealed.

This is despite a rise in crime.

Police and Crime Commissioners will be invited to put up police precept, which is added to council tax bills, by £1 a month for a typical household, according to the Birmingham Mail.

Announcing next year’s funding, the Home Office said West Midlands Police will be £9.5million a year better off as a result.

Its total budget will increase from £524.4million in 2017-18, the current financial year, to £533.9million in 2018-19.

David Jamieson, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), will be free to decide whether to increase council tax bills or not. The Government announcement means he can impose a maximum increase of £12, up from the limit of £5 imposed in previous years.

However, as West Midlands Police has repeatedly warned it is struggling for money, he may feel he has little choice but to impose the highest increase allowed.

Mr Jamieson said: "West Midlands Police or other local forces across the country will not receive a single extra penny from the government. Local police forces will not benefit from this announcement, there is no new money in this announcement for local forces.

"In fact it is a real terms cut.

“Just to standstill West Midlands Police requires an extra £22million. This announcement falls well short of that number."

He added: "The government expects council tax payers in the West Midlands to pay millions more, at a time when wages are stagnant and living standards are squeezed."

Warks taxpayers vote to pay more to keep bobbies on the beat

TAXPAYERS in Warwickshire are happy to pay more to keep bobbies on the beat.

Over 70 per cent of 1,500 people who took part in a public consultation voted for the maximum proposed rise in Warwickshire Police’s share of Council Tax – a £12 annual increase on an average Band D property.

If the hike is agreed by Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Seccombe, it will save the jobs of around 50 of the force’s 800 frontline police officers – although budget cuts could still see around ten lose their jobs.

A Government freeze on police budgets this year will see Warwickshire Police lose around £950,000.

But PCCs across the country are being allowed to raise their percentage of Council Tax, and Warwickshire’s offered residents the choice of a £12, £10 or £8 rise to the average Band D bill. Most opted for the £12 hike.

Mr Seccombe says the proposed rise will keep 50 officers on the street, up from his initial estimate of 33.

He said: “It’s clear the public wants to see more police on their streets.

“Without a cash boost of this scale, Warwickshire Police would lose around 60 police officer posts over the medium term – a position that would reduce the level of service to the public.

“I do not think this is acceptable and the consultation shows this is not what the public want.”

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics last year showed crime in Warwickshire had risen by around a quarter in the 12 months to June.

Government cuts since 2010 have resulted in 138 fewer police officers in Warwickshire.

Just over seven per cent of consultation respondents supported a £10 increase, and 14 per cent the lowest proposed rise of £8. Just under eight per cent said they would prefer not to see any increase.

Mr Seccombe was due to propose the £12 rise to the Police and Crime Panel today (Thursday February 1). Warwickshire Police’s 2018/19 budget will be finalised later this month.

The police portion of the overall council tax bill equates to around ten per cent.

'Over 100 police jobs saved by council tax rise'



OVER 100 officers will keep their jobs after a council tax hike was approved, police chiefs say.

The rise in the West Midlands Police’s portion of your council tax bill from April was approved by the Police and Crime Panel.

Coventry City Council receives most of the income from council tax. It is expected later this month to raise its part of residents’ bill by 5 per cent.

The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), David Jamieson, proposed an increase of £12 a year for a Band D council tax payer as part of his budget.

He claimed it was needed to ‘stabilise’ the police force and maintain officer numbers.

The PCC’s 2018/19 budget, including the precept, was approved unanimously by the Police and Crime Panel on Monday.

The West Midlands Police ‘precept’ is the part of your council tax bill that goes to the police.