A CONSULTATION is to take place into how much taxpayers should pay for the police portion of council tax.

North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, is giving residents the chance to say if they would like to freeze the local police tax or if they would rather pay more for local policing.

Mrs Mulligan says there has been an underspend of more than £500,000 in policing this year in North Yorkshire, and the service currently has general unallocated reserves of almost £10 million.

The three options open to the public include freezing the police precept and receive a grant of £640,000 from the Government to help offset the freeze for one year.

Alternatively, the precept could go up by 1.99 per cent to raise nearly £1.2 million for next year and subsequent years, but avoid a costly local referendum, or the precept could go up by more than 1.99 per cent, which could raise more money, but will mean at least £700,000 spent on a referendum on the proposals.

Mrs Mulligan said: “These are tough financial times for families as they are for the police. Rather than ask local taxpayers for more money, I am considering freezing the police precept next year.

“The Government has committed to providing money to the areas that don’t put the precept up, which means the police benefit next year without having to put further pressure on family budgets.”

To take part in the consultation, go to
www.northyorkshire-pcc.gov.uk/news/police-precept-your-view-is-important/