Ridiculous increase in council tax for police funding

[NigelGresley]

Last year the increase on our council tax bill for the police was 12%, this year it has increased by 22% !!!

I am furious with the government for cutting central funding and transferring the burden to local people. But at the same time wondering whether our police force is really cutting its cloth accordingly.

Anyone else seen such huge increases?
How much longer can this continue? Some people are really going to struggle to pay.

Does that mean you actually get some police?

It pretty lawless around here, with the police admitting they do not have the resources to tackle the high levels of serious crime.

Our overall council tax has gone up by £16pm, and we are band C in the SW. Police up 12% and Fire by 3% as well as increases to base amount and the Parish plus Adult Social Care and new Special Expenses

I last had a more than 1% pay rise in 2010. 3 years pay freeze and on just under 1% a year since. Yet everything goes up by much much more.

Where can I find the breakdown of where the CT goes?

I signed up online, but forgot my password and “memorable word” Have emailed council to ask what to do, at the moment response is 28 days.

My council tax has gone up £3 a month, including a hefty percentage rise for the police.

Of all the things I can get bent out of shape over, this is not one of them. If nothing else, it’s more than covered by the increase in the personal tax allowance.

Where do you suggest police savings could be found?
I wonder whether they could operate more efficiently. There was a minor accident in a city near me and a road was closed. There were about 3 police cars at either end of the road, which seemed a disproportionate response in relation to the nature of the incident.

I’m not objecting to increased funding for the police if that is what’s needed, but it should be properly funded through central government for the reasons GoGo and bob have said.

Nigel, you could always volunteer as a special - save them some money and actually see how much of a struggle it can be.

Where can I find the breakdown of where the CT goes?

If it wasn’t on your bill it should be available on your local council’s website somewhere.

If the increases continue at this rate then in a couple of years I’ll be paying over £2000 and I only live in a poxy little house!

As a serving officer I can absolutely guarantee you that in my force we are seriously to the bone. Shift should be 11 and routinely operates at 3. 6 is a really really good day. There is no way that we are giving a good service to victims of crime and forget routine patrols or proactive policing. Burglary is through the roof because they know there's no officers patrolling just in the off chance of finding criminals- we are too pulled out responding to 999 calls and even then we run out of police on a regular basis.

I and my colleagues are pretty deflated, exhausted (I did a 15 hour shift last week to try and safeguard a victim of domestic abuse and was back in at 7am) pissed off, flogged, and demoralised.

And my council tax is up too.

Maybe Mumsnet users should stop recommending "logging' trivial nonsense with 101 on a daily basis

Nigel
It's perfectly possible that some of those "excessive " cars had come from elsewhere to help (like other side of district). Or some could be traffic or dog cars depending on the incident. It depends what it was....if it was a fail to stop then it's likely all resources and dog men/specials/ other district resources/ may attend , equally if it was a fatal rtc....it's all hands to deck but leaves rest of district short. We share one dog officer between 4 districts these days. Often only 4 traffic cops on duty for 4 districts.

Who told you it was minor? ....

I was going to ask if you are in Surrey, but we only got about 10% which I thought was high. Yours is shocking!

@hellenbackagen this is exact what police officers told me when I last spoke with them. It's so sad.
Keep doing the great job. You guys are awesome and deserve much better.

As much as I'm not wild about huge increases, I'm happy to pay it. We live in what is perceived as an affluent but fairly rural county. The police station locally closed, the next town only has one now open onapqrt time basis. Rural crime and burglary has increased here, drugs are becoming a major issue. Yet because we are seen as affluent we aren't allocated resources.
The police desperately need increased funding.

I don’t mind if it means we get some actual policing. What is unacceptable is for them to take the money but not provide additional action to deal with crime in my area. We have massive problems with quad bikes and antisocial behaviour from groups of teenagers drinking and taking drugs. I’m happy to pay more if it means those issues get dealt with. However I fear they’ll take the cash and do bugger all additional policing.

I don't think anyone particularly like tax rises but if that's what it takes to have decent council services then I am willing to pony up.

OP but what does that 22% actually cost you in financial terms? Our Police part of council tax has gone up 10% this year. On a Band D council tax property that equates to an increase of £24. So £2 per month. Not exactly earth shattering, is it?

I'm sorry, but I say it on every NHS bashing thread as well - we all want the NHS to do this, we want more Police presence, we want better education, we want free nursery schools, we want we want we want. But most people want these things without accepting the fact that if that's what you want then your income tax needs to rise at least 5 p in the £1. AT LEAST.

It's pretty lawless where I live. Local businesses get broken into at least once a week here and the police don't have the resources to help. All they are doing is suggesting that businesses get shuttered windows and extra CCTV. I really hope the extra money will start making a difference.

I wonder whether they could operate more efficiently

Are you serious? They are on the absolute bones of their arses 1 police dog covering huge areas, (I did hear of one dog covering one force per shift being the norm now) they introduced pcsos to cut costs and now can’t afford them either.

They can’t attend burglaries unless it’s in progress, stations are closing left right and centre. Meaning if you need the police they are potentially travelling miles and miles to get to you.
Yet you think they could run more efficiently?

It’s no wonder police are leaving, with attitudes like that and people shouting at them for having the temerity to eat during their exhaustingly long shift.

Interestingly, the OP thinks councils should introduce a tax on dog owners to employ wardens to ensure dog shit is picked up.

Now, I'm not saying there isn't an issue with dog shit, but it seems pretty odd to complain about a relatively small rise in the Police part of council tax and saying people will struggle to pay, while at the same time wanting to introduce a new tax.

I just wish my council tax hadn’t been frozen for the past decade or so and that council services were better. Our council seem to have stripped everything back to the bare bones and things are rather grim.

Since 2014 , the Met has had to make savings of over 800 million pounds , until 2020 . 800 MILLION pounds . They have national responsibilities for counter terrorism . Reporting of knife crime has gone up . So has reporting of sexual violence , child abuse , domestic violence . Violent crime . Knife crime . Since 2014 , we’ve had the July bombings in 2015 . Attacks in Westminster and London Bridge . Grenfell . I could keep going on . All these things , if you want them to be properly investigated , take time, and resources . Even just providing security for scene of crime , whilst waiting for an ever smaller number of crime scene examiners . Many many resources . Forensic science , whilst a marvel , isn’t cheap . Nor is waiting for phone providers to release data . We don’t get that for free . Photographers . Trawling through thousand of hours of footage from CCTV cameras , for numerous offences , whilst the video kit is dated , and you have to book a smaller number of specialist suites to do it .

And there are fewer police than ever before . 20 000 officers lost since 2010. Specialist skills being lost as older officers retire and new ones aren’t trained as the courses are too expensive to pay for . One collision investigation crew on duty at any point for three county forces I know of . No wonder roads are closed for longer , if the experts are already at another fatal accident scene 100 miles away . Unless you’d rather your family victims died in accidents and they were just swept up and the road repopened so as not to inconvenience the great British public ?

Police staff ? Gone . The tasks they did , haven’t however . PCSO’s ? Likewise . Wave goodbye to neighbourhood policing , so early intervention where kids are starting to stray , is now an opportunity lost . They’ve closed or sold the police stations , because it literally comes down to a choice between having a police station , or having boots on the ground , and we need all we can get . There is NO money left . None . All these extra officers being put on violent crime task forces ? That’s just your bog standard response officers having their days off cancelled . They’re not extra , at all . We’ve now got beyond the critical line . We’ve made all the efficiencies we can make . We tried getting rid of the workhorse cars , the BMW’s , in favour of more economic models . They didn’t and couldn’t stand up to a 24/7 workload , and we now have more cheaper models awaiting repair than we do on the road . Something has to happen . And FWIW , our current commissioner isn’t interested in vanity projects . The previous one however .....

Increases are tough for people right now but i doubt many will argue against the Police getting more money (ideally this would come from the existing council budgets + CPI % increases).

Unfortunately councils in general are pretty bloated and inefficient organisations. They could trim alot of fat with non-jobs and moving people on to defined contribution pensions.

Literally just seen a 50k job in a northern council for working with the private sector to market museums and parks to drive return visits and participation. I mean.. ?!? In a time of need, surely the focus should be on high quality basic services. The issues at Northamptonshire Council are a disgrace too.

I wish we could vote on how the council budget is spent and it should be made easier to get rid any council leader who is wasting money or failing to run the council properly.

Yep ours has gone up massively too. I wouldn't mind if the money was definitely going towards something that would benefit my community but it seems to me that all it ever does is line other's pockets or get spent on stupid PR stunts. More transparency and accountability is required.