Cheap at half the price?
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has announced proposals for how much Greater Manchester residents will be asked to contribute to policing, the fire service, and other mayoral priorities, including addressing congestion, rough-sleeping and the major rewrite of a homes and jobs plan to reduce the amount of green space taken for development.
If agreed these will be added to local council tax bills when they are set by each of the 10 Greater Manchester councils.
Essential services across Greater Manchester will be enhanced with additional police officers recruited and PCSO numbers to ensure a visible police presence in every community.
Following a public consultation, and approval from the Police and Crime Panel, the police element of council tax is set to rise by £9.33 this year for the average council tax bill (Band B) in Greater Manchester – that’s less than 78p per month.
The Mayor is promising that at least 50 new police officers will be recruited for neighbourhood policing while PCSO numbers will be maintained.
There will be faster improvements will be made to the non-emergency 101 service and the fire service budget will be protected and staff shortages addressed.
Congestion across Greater Manchester will begin to be addressed, with the transport control room turned into a 24/7 operation and Greater Manchester’s new plan for jobs and homes (known as the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework) will be published later this year, taking in to account residents’ concerns, especially about development on green space
Andy Burnham said:
“The Government’s decision to cut Greater Manchester Police for the eighth year in a row, when the threat level remains high and crime is rising, means we have been left in a difficult position with no real choice but to ask our residents to fill the gap. And with this extra funding GMP will be asked to strengthen neighbourhood policing, ensure a strong police presence across GM and accelerate improvements in the 101 service.”
The budget for Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service will be protected and more firefighters are being recruited to address shortages.
An annual charge to help deliver Mayoral priorities is proposed to be set at £7 a year for the average council tax bill (Band B) in Greater Manchester.
The proposals will be discussed at this Friday’s meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, ahead of the final budget-setting meeting in February.
The Mayor said: “I’ve been working closely with the 10 leaders, the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to put together a package of measures that keeps the council tax as low as possible but helps to support our communities in Greater Manchester.
“I recognise that it is a big ask for people to pay more, especially in these difficult times. But, at the same time, I am facing pressure from the public to go further and faster on tackling homelessness and congestion while protecting green spaces. I have tried to get the balance right, keeping bills down but also keeping Greater Manchester leading the way
