Council tax bills hike to boost police budgets amid row over funding

Council tax payers in the West Midlands face a hike in bills to fund more bobbies on the beat under the new police funding settlement.

The region's force will get an extra £34.2 million – with the Government grant rising 2.1 per cent to £8.9m.

The other £25.3m will be available if Labour Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson takes advantage of a Whitehall decision allowing him to double the council tax precept from £12 to £24 for a Band D property.

Under the settlement Staffordshire Police will get an extra £13.3m next year, with the Government grant rising by £2.2m and a pensions grant of £1.8m.

It comes as West Midlands Police struggles to contain rising crime, with violent crime up 18 per cent and senior officers admitting that offenders had been let go as there was not enough staff to deal with them.

Mr Jamieson is expected to confirm the tax increase – which will see the total policing precept rise to £152 – next week. It will then go out to public consultation.

WMP will also get a £7m grant to help cover a pensions shortfall of £8.6m over the next 12 months. Last year the force received a total of £444m from the Government.

The Labour PCC has branded the settlement figure 'disappointing', and says it represents a real terms cut that will hinder the force's efforts to curb the rising tide of crime.

And Labour MPs have called for more direct Government funding, saying it is 'outrageous' to expect poorer households to pay for next year's increase.

However, Ministers and Tory MPs have demanded more police officers on the streets, claiming the settlement represented the biggest real terms rise in police funding in eight years.

Walsall North Conservative MP Eddie Hughes said the settlement was "good news" for the force.

"Hopefully this will mean what we have all been asking for – more police officers on our streets," he added.

Mike Wood, the Tory MP for Dudley South, said: "What we now need to see is this money going on front line policing and not end up paying for back office costs and the PCC's private office."

Mr Jamieson said it was "surprising" to see Conservative MPs welcome "a huge potential rise in council tax".

He added: "Despite warm words over the last few months, this is once again a disappointing settlement that falls a long way short of what West Midlands Police needed from the Government.

"Grants to West Midlands Police are falling in real terms and the Government are piling the pressure on council tax payers."

Ian Austin, the Labour MP for Dudley North, said: "It is outrageous that people in the West Midlands are being asked to pay more when wealthier areas have faced lower cuts.

"Every MP in the West Midlands should be fighting for a fairer deal for the region's police force."

Eleanor Smith, the Labour MP for Wolverhampton South West, said: "Last year the region faced the biggest rise in crime outside of London, but the Tories aren’t recognising that you can’t keep people safe on the cheap.

"This proposed funding settlement expects council tax payers to foot the bill not Central Government. This is an unsustainable strategy."

Wolverhampton South East MP Pat McFadden said: “The Government is trying to portray this as a “turning the corner” settlement but this is not the case.

"It continues the pattern of loading more costs on to council tax payers for a much smaller force than in the past.

"We have lost 2,000 officers from the West Midlands Police over the last eight years and people are being asked to pay more to get less.

"Violent crime has risen sharply in the past couple of years with the public being particularly concerned about knife crime.

"The police need to be given the resources to meet those challenges.”

WMP has lost more than 2,000 officers and £175m in funding since 2010.

Staffordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is to launch a consultation on plans to increase the police precept for council tax.

It comes after Ministers today allowed a council tax hike to pay for extra police funding – meaning bills for a Band D property could rise by £24 a month.

Under next year's police funding settlement Staffordshire Police will get an extra £13.3m next year, with the grant rising by £2.2m and a pensions grant of £1.8m.

The bulk of the cash will come from the increased council tax precept.

Staffordshire’s Conservative Commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime, Matthew Ellis welcomed the settlement but said challenges remained.

He added: "Whilst helpful, the pressures on policing through increasing demand, the changing nature of crime and the wider security implications police have to deal with, means finances and resources are still exceptionally tight.

"It is absolutely vital the most local policing, which is precious to communities, continues to be supported and in Staffordshire, we build on the extra officers I promised last year, that are now being recruited.

"Plans are progressing well to make significant savings and pragmatic improvements in the new close partnership between the fire and rescue service and police.

"This will help services meet the necessary demands of the future. Although it’s not going to be easy."

Mr Ellis is due to meet with the county's Police, Fire and Crime Panel tomorrow to discuss the precept. His consultation will launch next week ahead of a decision on the plans in January.

Across England and Wales police funding will potentially rise by £813m – with around £500m coming from council tax increases.