Commissioner's precept proposal approved by Panel

On Monday 6th February Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter presented his proposals to raise the portion of council tax used to pay for policing, known as the police precept, to the Humberside Police and Crime Panel. The panel voted unanimously in favour of an increase of 1.99%.

The Commissioner proposed the precept increase for 2017/18, meaning the amount paid on a typical Band D property would rise by around 7p per week from £183.67 to £187.33 for the year.

Commenting on the decision Keith Hunter said:

“I am pleased the Police and Crime Panel have supported my proposal. Like most people, I want to see more visible policing on our streets, more officers on the beat helping their communities with the problems that matter to them, which is why I have taken the decision to increase the policing precept for 2017/18 by 1.99%. This is the maximum available to me without triggering a referendum which would have some significant cost itself. This is not about growth it is about trying to protect the reduced service we already have from further reductions.

“I want to see an improvement in our neighbourhood policing service. Police officers and staff carry out a variety of duties from emergency response to criminal investigations, from roads policing to specialist roles such as firearms and counter terrorism, but at the core of all our policing services are our neighbourhood beat officers and PCSOs. They are the front line in our communities and provide the visible daily presence and reassurance that our residents expect.

“The money generated by an increase in the precept will actually go only part way to filling the hole in finances created by central government, but it will be brought together with ongoing efficiency savings and directed as much as possible on protecting and, where possible, enhancing neighbourhood policing teams and improving community safety. It’s what residents tell me they want and I will work hard to provide it.

“My commitment to residents in the Humberside Police force area is to ensure all the resources available to me as Police and Crime Commissioner are directed as effectively and efficiently as possible to deliver the safer communities they want.”

The Humberside Police and Crime Panel is composed of a group of cross-party Councillors from Hull, the East Riding of Yorkshire, North and North East Lincolnshire, plus independent members.

The full proposal to the Police and Crime Panel, including the Medium Term Resource Stategy, can be read at: http://www.northlincs.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=35420 

Residents can check which council tax band their property falls into by entering their postcode at: www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands