Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: "Having been a public servant for 40 years, both as a police officer and in our NHS, I stood as your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on a simple, yet important principle - to improve the public services that protect Cumbria and to increase visibility of policing.
"Coming into office, I inherited a financial position where the Constabulary has faced a decade and a half of budget cuts – a reduction of £26million between 2010-2017. This meant that police stations closed across Cumbria and most of our rural market towns no longer have police stations. The public routinely tell me that they do not see the police in their communities.
"Protecting not only the residents of but also the millions of visitors to our great county is paramount. But this can only be done if we have the funding to do it.
"I am confident, however, that with your support we can and will change that.
"The Chief Constable, Rob Carden, is returning police to our communities. The Community Beat Officers (CBOs) and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) that we have invested in form the core of the Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams. They are making a significant difference in tackling anti-social behaviour and crime. There is however, much more to do.
"Learning from the past but looking forward, it is my aspiration to build a police service fit for the challenges of the future, and it is with this in mind that I am preparing my proposals for council tax precept. Putting visible policing back on the streets to protect you, the public, is at the forefront of my mind and my strategy.
"In preparing the police budget for 2025-2026, I have to set the amount of council tax precept for policing. This is your contribution towards the cost of policing in Cumbria. Policing is funded by around 60% from government grants and 40% from you, in the form of local council tax. It is therefore important, and only right, that I ask you what you want and what you are willing to pay for.
"Given the funding position that we find ourselves in, we are still looking at having to make significant efficiency savings of 11% or £14 million between now and 2029. I have already saved this 11% from my own office, the same as the Constabulary has to save. Net savings of £1.254m have already been identified by the Constabulary and my Office with further reviews ongoing. These savings do not impact on front-line policing or staffing and will increase to £1.7m by 2028/29
"In order to ensure that we maintain proper, fit for purpose, neighbourhood policing, where you know your named police officer and they in turn protect you and your community. I am proposing to increase the policing part of your council tax precept, this will mean an increase of £1.16 per month for a Band D property (£13.95 a year for a Band D property). This equates to just under 4p per day for the provision of one of the best performing forces in the country.
"As your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, protecting Cumbria is my number one priority and to do that I need to invest in our policing services. Should I not do so, the savings that already have to be found will be larger and cumulative over years and will have a significant and detrimental effect on what the Constabulary can do and provide going forward. This rise allows me to ensure efficiency in services but also provide protective services for future generations.
"In my role, I see first-hand, day in day out, the vital work our officers undertake to keep you, the residents of Cumbria safe, and I do not wish to see this compromised or reduced any further than it already has been.
"The recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) independent Peel Report graded Cumbria Constabulary as one of the best performing in the country. I want to ensure that we build on our successes and also continually make improvements to ensure a greater quality of service delivery.
"I am making your police force even more local, visible and accessible. More visible policing means more deployments, more local problem solving, more local partnerships, more crimes solved, and safer streets with reduced anti-social behaviour. Our hotspot policing is reaping rewards with anti-social behaviour being cut in some areas by more than a third. If I chose not to increase council tax, these efforts would have to be dramatically scaled back and our policing would have to look dramatically different.
"It has been my intention since taking office to implement a neighbourhood policing pledge. This will be launched in January alongside the Constabulary which will demonstrate what you can expect from your Police Service and how your local neighbourhood policing teams will be at the heart of communities, protecting you and keeping you safe."
Proposed Council Tax Precept by Council Tax Band
Council Tax Bands | Actual 2024/25 precept £ | Proposed 2025/26 precept £ | Annual Increase £ | Increase % | Daily Increase £ |
Band A | £206.70 | £216.00 | 9.30 | 4.50% | 0.03 |
Band B | £241.15 | £252.00 | 10.85 | 4.50% | 0.03 |
Band C | £275.60 | £288.00 | 12.40 | 4.50% | 0.03 |
Band D | £310.05 | £324.00 | 13.95 | 4.50% | 0.04 |
Band E | £378.95 | £396.00 | 17.05 | 4.50% | 0.05 |
Band F | £447.85 | £468.00 | 20.15 | 4.50% | 0.06 |
Band G | £516.75 | £540.00 | 23.25 | 4.50% | 0.06 |
Band H | £620.10 | £648.00 | 27.90 | 4.50% | 0.08 |
You can complete the survey by visiting - Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner's Council Tax Precept for Policing 2025 Survey
The survey closes on Wednesday 29 January at 5pm.
