Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams is asking people to have their say on how much they would be prepared to pay for Police and Fire & Rescue services in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Funding for the services is made up of a mix of central government grants, combined with the ‘precept’ – the contribution residents make as part of their annual council tax. The Staffordshire Commissioner is responsible for setting the budget for Staffordshire Police, and Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service, including this precept amount.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “This year has seen significant progress towards delivering the ambitions set out in my Police & Crime and Fire & Rescue Plans – including recruiting more Police officers, improving 999 and 101 contact, supporting victims, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour and making our region’s roads, homes and business premises safer.”
“Unfortunately our emergency services are not protected from the financial pressures currently facing us all. Despite performing within budget and delivering savings targets the increased costs due to the pandemic, inflation and additional unexpected costs linked to pay and pensions mean there is an expanding funding gap for both services.”
“I will always aim to keep precept increases as low as possible so all the options I am proposing are below headline inflation rates but with improvement in local services rightly expected by you and His Majesty’s Inspectors alongside the financial challenges outlined above I would welcome your thoughts on these council tax precept options.”
For 2023/24, residents of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are asked to share their views on the following options, based on a Band D property currently paying £248.57 each year for Police services and £80.35 for Fire & Rescue services.
Police:
- No increase in precept
- An extra £5 per year (42p extra a month) This is a 2.1% increase.
- An extra £10 per year (83p extra a month) This is a 4.02% increase.
- An extra £15 per year (£1.25 extra a month) This is a 6.03% increase.
Fire & Rescue:
- No increase in precept
- An extra £2.50 per year (21p extra a month) This is a 3.11% increase.
- An extra £5 per year (42p extra a month) This is a 6.22% increase.
The council tax consultation starts today (15 December 2022) and runs until 16 January 2023.
Have your say here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/precept23-24
