Mulligan planning rates rise to plug budget for county's police force

Selby area residents look set to pay more towards policing from April as the region's Police Commissioner announces her intention to raise rates.

The increased burden will come in the form of a 1.99% hike on the local policing 'precept' – a sum collected as part of annual council tax bills.

Announcing her intention, Commissioner Julia Mulligan (Con) says the raise will amount to an extra payment of just 8p per week for the typical 'Band D' council tax payer. The weekly charge payable by the same property would be around £4.09.

Around £1.2 million would be injected into the force's coffers if the proposal goes through. A freeze, the commissioner argues, would amount to an effective cut of the same amount.

The Commissioner's proposed hike will formally be put to the area's Police and Crime Panel at a meeting next Tuesday when she will inform members of the outcome of her recent survey on the cost of policing North Yorkshire. During the consultation two in every three of those who responded from across the county said they would be prepared to accept a rise in precept.

The move is likely to be met with a more sceptical eye from those living in the Selby area however.

Under the Commissioner's tenure, a series of cuts have been inflicted upon the town's police service. These include the unpopular closure of Selby's own custody suite and current plans to push through the closure of Selby's dedicated police station in a controversial bunk-up with Selby District Council.

Commissioner Mulligan said, “I look forward to discussing the matter with the panel and outlining the reasons why I believe an 8p-a-week increase in the precept is the right decision,

“North Yorkshire is the safest place in England and our police do a good job. But like everywhere else, we have our challenges and I want to make sure the force has the money it needs to deliver the frontline services we value so highly.”

“When the Government decided its contribution to North Yorkshire’s force, they assumed a precept rise of 1.99 per cent. That means a freeze in the precept would effectively mean a cash cut of £1.2 million.

“On top of the previous cuts and new demands on policing, that would inevitably hit services. I have therefore listened carefully to the public and, given their clear steer, feel this is the right action to take.”

♦ What do you think? Is this a much needed boost to policing the county or is this too much money with less and less to show for it? Scroll down to comment (app users click here).