February 10, 2020 12.50 pm This story is over 55 months old

Humberside Police council tax precept to increase by 2.2%

PCC Keith Hunter says the rise will maintain officer numbers
Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter. Photo: Daniel Jaines

Humberside’s Police and Crime Commissioner has been given the go-ahead to increase his force’s share of council tax by 2.2%.

Humberside Police and Crime Panel approved the move, which will see residents in a Band D property pay an extra £4.91 a year, on Thursday.

PCC Keith Hunter said he was pleased to see the “inflation-only” increase approved, especially “following two years of above-inflation precept increases where the Government passed the responsibility to local taxpayers to fund an effective police service.

“This decision means we can maintain the current level of police officers thanks to our sound financial management over the last three years which has put Humberside Police ahead of the game compared to other forces,” he said.

In reports prior to the approval, Mr Hunter said his previous budgets had seen the “biggest recruitment of new officers in the force’s history,” with more than 1,900 officers now employed – an increase of 500 since he became PCC in 2016.

Photo: Humberside Police

However, despite a national increase in Government funding of £1.1 billion to forces across the nation and the Government’s promise of 20,000 extra officers, Mr Hunter says more needs to be done.

He previously said the funding “does not address the current hole in the budget created by successive years of Government cuts.

“This is a welcome but small step by the Government in repairing the damage they have done to the safety of our communities.”

A consultation by the PCC prior to agreeing his proposals received 831 responses, with 59% agreeing with the proposals and 38% disagreeing.

On Friday, Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones was also given permission to increase his share of the local precept by 4.1% – a rise of £9.99 for a band D property.

His own consultation saw 3,302 responses with 80% agreeing to pay at least 5% more. In addition, two-thirds of respondents said they would pay another 10-15%.

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