Tax hike to protect police force budget

TONY LLOYD

GREATER Manchester leaders have backed plans to protect policing by increasing council tax by £5.

The proposed rise comes as Greater Manchester Police need to find savings of £14million this year after the government were unable to protect local policing budgets.

The need to find savings comes after £180million and 2,000 officers have been cut since 2010.

Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd has committed to investing the additional £3.6million raised by the increase in council tax in frontline policing and ensuring the force's service reflects the diverse communities it serves.

Proposals

The money raised is the equivalent needed to maintain 70 officers on our streets.

Mr Lloyd presented a report on his proposals to the Police and Crime Panel last Friday.

It highlighted areas of investment and challenge, including the transformation of GMP's IT systems and the roll-out of body-worn video and mobile devices to improve public confidence and visibility of local officers.

Furthermore it showcased investment in innovative projects to tackle complex issues such as female genital mutilation, domestic abuse and re-offending.

Mr Lloyd said: "The irresponsible actions of this government have left me with no choice but to ask the people of Greater Manchester to contribute a little bit more - just over a penny a day - to help maintain a strong and effective police service.

"I, of course, recognise that in this era of austerity, local people are facing financial challenges of their own, and it is with great reluctance that I put forward this proposal."

He said: "I'm pleased that council leaders have supported me in this decision."

He added: "GMP is now recruiting new officers to shore-up the service, bringing new blood and new ideas.

"This provides an opportunity to increase the diversity of GMP and I'm pleased to see that of the 100 most recent recruits from local communities, more than a third are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds."

Mr Lloyd will formally set out his budget in February.