Council tax to rise to cover policing costs

Households in Merseyside face paying more towards the cost of policing to help plug a £8.5m funding gap.

Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said she had been left with “no alternative” but to add to the council tax bill from April.

She blamed the government and said around £5.2m of reserve cash would also have to go towards the shortfall.

The Home Office said Merseyside Police funding was up 6.5% this year.

“The stark reality is that central government are simply not providing enough money for policing on Merseyside,” Mrs Spurrell said.

Chief constable Serena Kennedy is set to make around £3.3m of cuts, and over the next four years, the force must save around £22m.

Mrs Spurrell warned more could follow if funding did not increase.

Mrs Spurrell said Merseyside Police had to have to find £8.5m savings this year

The plans were put before the Police and Crime Panel on 7 February and the proposals to be signed off on 14 February.

A Home Office spokesman said the government is “giving the police the resources they need to tackle crime, and through our police recruitment campaign we have fulfilled our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional police officers”.

The spokesman added Merseyside’s Police’s funding will be up to £452.2m in 2024-25, an increase of about £27.6m when compared with the previous year.

“It is up to police and crime commissioners to determine how to allocate resources,” the spokesman added.

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