Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (Commissioner), David Allen, received unanimous support from the Police, Fire and Crime Panel to increase the policing and fire element of the council tax precept.
Residents also supported the rise in council tax for policing and fire. During public consultation, 61% and 58% of residents agreed with increasing the policing and fire elements of council tax respectively.
Speaking on the support, Commissioner David Allen, said: “I’d like to thank all residents for taking the time to complete the survey and to the Panel for unanimously supporting the proposals.
“For Policing, the increase of £14.94 (£1.25 a month) for a Band D property will help protect and maintain neighbourhood policing and ensure the improvements we have made are not lost. Without it, cuts would have been unavoidable and would have affected the services that the Police provide.
“For Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, increasing the council tax by £4.95 (41p a month) are able to continue to respond quickly and supports a balanced budget after years of underinvestment. The budget for Fire will be a challenging one. However, we need to ensure that the services is legal and safe and this investment will help.
“As your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, I believe that Cumbria deserves strong public services that keep us safe and this investment allows us to continue to protect our communities.”