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Published on: 20/02/2018 06:44 AMReported by: roving-eye
The annual charge for policing on Merseyside is due to rise by more than 14% over the next 15 months, with Merseyside’s Labour Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy set to confirm her 2018/19 budget and precept on Thursday this week.
The increase from this April is proposed at 7.2%. With a similar inflation-busting increase being planned for the following year it means that the police precept, currently £166 for a band D property, will rise by a total of £24 or 14.5% to £190 a year by April 2019.
The news comes just days after the Commissioner unveiled her new multi-million Operational Command Building at Speke, with another large new HQ building planned for North Liverpool.
Despite the large increase in the precept, the number of police officers is projected to fall over the course of the next financial year, according to details presented to the Merseyside Police and Crime Panel when they considered the Commissioner’s proposals earlier this month.
The Police precept is on top of the Sefton Council Tax where the controlling Labour Group is expected to propose a 5.99% increase at the budget meeting set for 1st March.
“These large increases pile the pressure on already hard-pressed local residents,” says Cllr John Pugh, leader of the Lib Dem opposition group on Sefton Council.
“At a time when many people’s incomes are static or rising by just a small amount, the idea that increases in Council Tax of 6% or 7% are acceptable is simply wrong. This is particularly so when it’s far from being a fair form of taxation.”
Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Simon Shaw, who is Vice-Chair of the Merseyside Police Panel, also voiced his concern: “When local council tax-payers are looking at a 14.5% increase over two years in what they are paying towards local policing they might expect to see an increase in the number of police officers.”
“However the exact opposite applies. It’s a case of ‘Pay more, get less’ with a proposed reduction of more than 100 police officers over the next 12 months alone.”
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gerrard24 says:20/02/2018 11:59 AM
Seeing that CID, Traffic ,The custody suite, traffic wardens and the Magistrates court have all gone the majority of the Police station is not used. How long before the Station is closed and sold off.
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said says:20/02/2018 10:34 PM
Originally Posted by Alikado
The Council Tax is going up but the Police budget is going down - Blame the Government for that.
As I understand it - the government are phasing out Council grants so that Councils will have to rely on business revenues in local areas. In the North, that could encourage dubious businesses to be set up, trading for a short period and closing when taxes are due.
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Gwhizz says:21/02/2018 11:17 AM
The Lib-Dems and Tories cut £2.3 billion from police funding and Cllr Pugh when MP was one of those who voted for it. The Tories have cut £400m in real terms since & just voted for a further £100m cut about 10 days ago (well done on voting in support of that Damien Moore) and have forced PCC's to go cap in hand to council tax payers... and these two in the article are desperately trying to point the finger anywhere but at themselves and their Tory allies. A simply loathsome inability to face up to their role in the current policing problems and the rise in crime.
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Muzungu says:22/02/2018 08:10 AM
Pugh and Shaw should face arrest for impersonating politicians who actually care about Southport. Any concern plays second fiddle to monstrous ego and shallow opportunism
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Username2016 says:23/02/2018 10:29 AM
Be nice if they have a better suggestion rather than just stating the obvious that paying more tax isn’t welcome. Anyone can take a picture in front of something and blame someone else but without ideas/alternatives then it’s somewgat disappointing.
Also, what’s the point of Shaw being the vice chair of the police panel if he sum total of what he can do is this.....
Nice to be back from my temporary ban for unknown reasons
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