HOUSEHOLDS in Huddersfield will have to pay more for extra police.
West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, yesterday proposed an increase in the precept – to pay for the recruitment of 44 police officers.
The proposed 3.8% rise in the precept will mean a penny a day extra for the 64% of households in West Yorkshire that fall into council tax bands A and B.
For those households in band D it will mean just £5 a year.
The news comes after Kirklees Council proposed a 1.6% rise in council tax bills.
Calderdale Council is proposing a 2% rise from April for its council tax.
And West Yorkshire chief fire officer Simon Pilling wants the fire precept increase by around £5 a year or 10p a week.
All proposals are still under consideration.
For the last two years, the police precept attached to the council tax has been frozen in West Yorkshire and is currently the third lowest in England and Wales.
Because of this the government has allowed the Police & Crime Commissioner greater discretion.
It has said it only requires a referendum if the precept rise is greater than £5 or 3.8%.
Mr Burns-Williamson said: “A penny a day increase in the precept means the recruitment of 44 police officers that would otherwise be impossible.
“Government cuts have hit us hard with a loss of over £100 million to policing.
“I pledged to protect neighbourhood policing and I have today proposed a 3.8% rise to pay for these much needed police officers in our communities.
“It is really encouraging that people have said they are prepared to pay a little more towards keeping their communities safe and hopefully this rise does not impose too heavy a burden on families in these uncertain economic times.”
The precept proposal will now be submitted to the Police and Crime Panel.
