In a poll by the North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner has shown two out of three respondents want to increase the amount they pay towards policing in North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, is responsible for setting the local police ‘precept’ – the amount people pay through their council tax for policing.
Click the link below to read the complete report:
Jan 16 Report on Police Precept Consultation 2016 FINAL
She conducted the consultation and says its results will help guide her decision.
More than 1,750 people responded to the consultation which included an independent telephone survey of North Yorkshire residents and an online survey. The combined results showed 66 per cent of respondents wanted to increase the precept – either by 1.99 per cent or more.
Julia Mulligan said:
This is a crucial decision which will not only determine how much people have to pay for the police in their council tax but also the level of policing they can expect for years to come.
Their views will influence greatly a decision that will affect every single person in North Yorkshire.
In the consultation, residents were asked if they wanted to:
- Freeze the precept – meaning no more to pay locally, but harder for the police to deliver services and balance the books
- Increase it by 1.99 per cent – in order to raise just over £1.2 million for next year and subsequent years, but avoid a costly local referendum, or
- Increase it by more than two per cent – which could raise more money, but would mean at least £700,000 would need to be spent on a referendum on the proposals
Overall, the results show:
- 61 per cent of respondents want to increase the precept by 1.99 per cent
- five per cent want to increase it by more than two per cent, and
- 34 per cent want to freeze the precept
Some 55 per cent of North Yorkshire Police’s funding comes from the Government. But the remaining 45 per cent is raised locally and is paid for by residents through their council tax. It is this local funding that Julia sought people’s views on.
Julia Mulligan said:
North Yorkshire is the safest place in England and our police do a good job. But like everywhere, we have our challenges.
The government has assumed a precept rise of 1.99 per cent in all their calculations, which means freezing the precept would lead, in effect, to a cash-cut of £1.2million (DN Julia wanted this figure but is it accurate in the context) and make it harder to deliver the services people want.
The consultation comprised an independent telephone survey of North Yorkshire residents. It also included an online survey promoted via social media and the press and a leaflet survey which respondents could complete and return FREEPOST. Residents could also email their views to the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
The breakdown of responses was:
- Online survey – 1,337 respondents
- Telephone survey – 403 respondents
- Email, telephone, leaflet return, street interviews – 12 respondents
TOTAL respondents – 1,752
Results of the telephone survey:
- 73 per cent wanted to increase the precept by 1.99 per cent
- Seven per cent wanted to increase the precept by more than two per cent
- 20 per cent wanted to freeze the precept
Results of the online survey:
- 57 per cent wanted to increase the precept by 1.99 per cent
- Five per cent wanted to increase the precept by more than two per cent
- 38 per cent wanted to freeze the precept
Didn’t take part in the Crime Commissioner’s poll, why not take part in our quick poll ?
