Commissioner backs tax rise proposals to avoid cuts

A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) said council tax needed to go up for both the police and fire service, warning that without the rise, there would be cuts.

Danielle Stone, Northamptonshire's PFCC, proposed a £15 annual rise for the police precept and a £12 increase for the fire service, which has been endorsed by the police, fire and crime panel.

While the policing increase matches the government's cap, the proposed fire rise is more than double the suggested £5 limit.

Stone said: "If we have to tell the [police] chief to make even more savings, that's going to seriously cut the resource that he's got available, which will mean we get a lesser service this coming year."

If it goes ahead, a Band D household would pay £335 a year towards policing in 2026/27 – a 4.69% increase.

They would also pay £92.39 towards the fire service, a rise of around 15%.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Stone told the meeting the local fire and rescue service had the second-lowest precept in the country and warned that without flexibility there could be "some really serious cuts".

Despite the extra funding, the meeting heard savings would still be required, with £3.5m to be found by the chief constable and £1.2m by the chief fire officer.

If government approval is refused, the fire service precept would be £5, raising the Band D charge to £85.39.

The commissioner now requires government approval to avoid triggering a public referendum, with a decision expected next week.

Stone said: "I found this budget really difficult. For me, this is a maintenance budget. We haven't got enough money to do exciting work that really needs to be done."

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