PCC Welcomes the Agreed Council Tax Changes for 2021
Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has welcomed backing for his tax plans for the coming year.
Today (Feb 5 2021) the Police and Crime Panel unanimously supported the PCC’s proposal to lift Council Tax by between 20p and 26p a week for most households - which will deliver an additional £2.9m in funding.
The rise accounts for 5.9% of the policing element of Council Tax for front line policing services.
The agreed Council Tax will now allow the PCC and the new Chief Constable Chris Haward to launch action plans to keep Lincolnshire communities even safer.
“I am delighted the panel has unanimously backed the plans for the coming year. The public made it clear they wanted an opportunity to invest in the policing of their communities and I welcome the panel’s decision to respect that view.
“Residents said no to a freeze in Council Tax and a reduction in policing and officer numbers and yes to a pound or so a month increase as long as it’s directed to frontline policing. I have listened and I have worked with the Chief Constable to develop plans that will keep our communities even safer into the future.
“The Chief and I have already developed some exciting projects we can now fund through the additional money raised – all of which match the concerns highlighted by the public through our robust consultation process.
“These include the recruitment of 60 extra officers, a new team dedicated to policing our roads, an increase in armed response units and specialist teams to drive down community crime.”
The agreed rise in Council Tax comes weeks after the results in the PCC’s annual survey showed overwhelming support for an even larger increase than the one proposed.
The survey, completed by 3,243 people, asked respondents how much more they were prepared to pay in Council Tax – with 87 per cent agreeing to pay more.
In fact 77 per cent of people said they were prepared to pay 10 percent or more and in every council district more than a third said they were willing to pay a 20 per cent increase.