Millions face council tax rise to pay for extra policing costs for overstretched forces
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has secured a funding rise to help struggling police forces across England and Wales
MILLIONS face a council tax rise of an extra £24 next year just to find more money for the police, the Sun can reveal.
Cabinet sources said Home Secretary Sajid Javid was pushing for a bumper rise to the ‘precept’ councils can charge to raise cash for overstretched forces across England and Wales.
It would come on top of the normal council tax rise.
A increase of £24 is believed to have been signed off in the last 24 hours after fraught discussions between the Home Office and the Treasury.
An announcement on the overall police settlement for 2019-2020 is due as early as next week.
The one-off council tax rise is expected to generate as much as £450 million.
Alongside central Government funding the total increase for forces across England and Wales could now approach £700 million.
The source said: “The Home Office and Treasury have been arguing over this for some time. Sajid pushed for as much as £30.
”The final figure is likely to be lower but it’s clear council tax is going up to help find the money for all this.”
The Treasury needs to find £165 million to plug a police forces pensions blackhole as well as extra money to help tackle a crime epidemic.
An eruption in violent crime has sparked claims that corners of Britain are now “lawless”.
Earlier this week it emerged citizen ‘vigilantes’ are patrolling the streets of Hartlepool because there are just 10 officers on duty overnight.
Under existing powers Police & Crime Commissioners are able to raise extra money through council tax without a referendum.
Last year the average Council Tax increase for Band D properties was £12.
It means the increase for larger homes could be even greater.
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The Home Office was blasted for using the council tax to fund the boys in blue.
MPs on the cross-party Public Accounts Committee said overall funding for the police had fallen by 19 per cent since 2010.
But the proportion of police money coming from council tax cash had soared from 26 per cent to 36 per cent.
At the time, PAC chair, Labour’s Meg Hillier said: “The thin blue is wearing thinner with potentially dire consequences for public safety.”
Call for tougher policing
BRITAIN’S top cop has delivered a get-tough stance on criminals, saying: “We have had to put the fear back into them.”
Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick said thugs were getting bolder with attacks on officers.
But she said: “They know they’re going to get caught. Our guys couldn’t be better trained for it.’’
However Ms Dick spoke out against routinely arming cops after London police re-introduced gun patrols in hotspots after knife murders.
Ms Dick said: “I’m not going to ask firearm officers to do more unless there’s a reason to do it.”
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