Nottinghamshire police commissioner plans council tax rise

Caroline Henry, commissioner, has revealed her budget plans for 2023-24 – with a plan to raise band D council tax by £14.94 to £269,19, from this year’s total of £254.25, a rise of 5.9 per cent.

Band A properties – the majority of homes in Mansfield and Ashfield – currently pay £169.50 towards policing, but this is set to rise by £9.96, to about £179.46.

Conservative Mrs Henry said her newly announced budget, containing the council tax rise, is focused on maintaining police officer numbers at 2,378 – the highest since 2011, just after the Conservatives came to power in Westminster – alongside 150 police community support officers.

Her £261.7 million budget also includes safeguarding a £4.2m pot for grants and commissioning to continue work to support victims and help people feel safe and protect them from becoming victims of crime.

Nearly £5m of efficiency savings have also been identified – including bringing some key services in-house and smarter use of IT systems – in the face of increased financial pressures, including soaring inflation and rising energy costs.

Mrs Henry said: “The public quite rightly expect a visible policing presence to help them feel safe and reassured and this budget sets out how we can meet that expectation.

“Following an intense period of recruitment, we now have the highest number of officers in more than a decade and have 10 per cent more deployable police officers than we did a year ago. This budget aims to maintain these levels.

“Staffing is the single biggest cost to the force, and it is challenging to maintain these high levels of officers, but it is the right thing to do, and allows us to claim £4.9m of government funding.

“It is also incredibly important because calls for service have rocketed in recent years, with 999 calls increasing by 15.6 per cent in the last year, compared with pre-pandemic levels, and non-emergency 101 calls have risen by 20.6 per cent in the same period. That equates to more than 150,000 extra calls to Nottinghamshire Police annually.

“The public consultation has shown support for these proposals. I recognise times are hard for many families due to the rising cost of living, so any increase in cost must be absolutely justified. In this case the

benefits are clear – as well as the risks to service provision if we didn’t find this extra funding.

“I am committed to building trust and confidence in the police and I think one of the best ways to do this is to ensure we have a service that is fit to meet the public demand.”

The budget proposals are due to be presented to the Nottinghamshire police and crime panel on February 7, where members will be recommended to support the council tax increase.

Nottinghamshire Council is proposing to raise its share of council tax – which makes up the majority of the bill – by 4.84 per cent, a £79 rise for band D property-owners, while Nottinghamshire Fire Authority is planning a £5 rise.

Mansfield Council has this week frozen its precept for the coming year – the second consecutive year this decision was approved by the authority.