South Yorkshire Police: Tax rise to fund more officers

Dr Alan Billings said he had little "room for manoeuvre" given rising costs

People will be asked to pay an extra £10 a year in council tax to fund more police officers in South Yorkshire.

The county's Police and Crime Commissioner said increasing the police part of the bill was necessary to meet government targets on officer numbers.

Dr Alan Billings said the force receives about 30% of its budget from council tax payers and the remainder from government.

A 4.69% precept increase mean a £10 rise for a Band D property in 2022/23.

Dr Billings said he had little "room for manoeuvre" in terms of setting a lower council tax charge, despite a government settlement of £233.8m, a cash increase of 5.8%.

"The government have said that we must increase police numbers - there is no discretion - and much of the increased grant is tied to that," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

• More from Yorkshire

He added that rising costs, such as increases in heating and lighting, needed to be met, along with a pay rise for staff and an anticipated extra 220 officers by March 2023.

Dr Billings said he realised the cost of living impact of an increase made people hesitant about supporting a rise, but that was the reason it was necessary.

South Yorkshire Police also faces significant costs due to civil claims from victims of the 1989 Hillsborough football disaster and child sexual exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013.

It is also liable for the costs of the National Crime Agency investigation into historic child sexual exploitation cases, which is expected to continue until 2027.

The bills are expected to reach £121m by 2026/27, of which £18m will be paid by the force.