Northamptonshire: Council tax rise proposed to fund fire and police

Stephen Mold said the council tax rise would "invest in the development" of police officers

Northamptonshire's police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) has proposed a £13-a-year increase to council tax across the county to fund police services.

Stephen Mold has also put forward a 2.99% annual increase to council tax for the fire service.

The proposals will be put to Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel at a meeting on 6 February.

Mr Mold said the two services would aim to "share costs wherever possible".

The increase to the policing precept - the part of council tax that funds the county's policing budget - would mean a Band D household would pay £306.04 for policing in 2024/25.

This amounts to an increase of 4.44% or around 25p a week.

'Future looks challenging'

Mr Mold said the increase would "invest in the development" of recently recruited police officers.

He added: "Northamptonshire has grown by over 25% since 2001 compared with a national average in England of around 21.5%.

"Government funding has just not kept up. I will keep on pushing to ensure that our county gets the level of funding it needs, so that residents are not left to pick up an increasing amount of the cost of policing in future years."

Mr Mold said he would ask the government for better funding for the fire service

The proposed increase for the fire service would amount to an extra £2.19 a year for the average Band D household.

Mr Mold said Northamptonshire's fire service is one of the "lowest funded in the country, with the second lowest precept levels".

"The service has worked hard to reach a stable financial position - it is efficient and effective and keeps people safe.

"Thanks to that, we can manage within the budget and invest in some improvements - but future years look more challenging," he added.