Council tax set to rise again in West Midlands to pay for policing
Council tax is set to go up again to boost the coffers of West Midlands Police.
Labour crime commissioner Simon Foster wants to raise the force's precept by £10-a-year to around £188 for a Band D property, in a move he says will still leave budgets under pressure.
The region has seen years of council tax increases to pay for policing, while the force continues to flounder with surging crime rates and record levels of emergency calls.
It comes after WMP was awarded a funding rise of almost £40 million for next year, the second biggest hike in the country outside the Met.
Mr Foster said he was committed to rebuilding community policing and said an increase in the precept had been "assumed" by the Government.
"I would much rather that the Government had fully funded this increase, rather than effectively mandating it and transferring the burden onto local council taxpayers," he added.
"With rising costs and inflation, West Midlands Police’s budget remains under pressure.
“I would encourage everybody in the West Midlands, if you work, live or study in the region to respond to this consultation."
This week Policing Minister Kit Malthouse told Labour politicians in the region to accept responsibility for police failings instead of continually complaining about budget cuts
WMP is set to get 1,218 new officers by 2023 under the Government's new uplift programme.
Visit westmidlands-pcc.gov.uk/budget-2022/ to take part in the consultation, which closes on January 30.
A consultation over the same level of precept rise in Staffordshire is already underway.
