Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has set out his proposals for how the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on communities can be eased, whilst also increasing funding for the region’s emergency services.
Rather than require residents across the region to pay more council tax to support improvements in services, Burnham has proposed that the mayor’s precept not be increased. Despite this, the Mayor has announced proposals for further investment to improve the emergency services operating in the region, including through more police officers and more fire engines.
Due to statutory requirements, the mayor must consult the public on the Police precept, and the proposals that are up for consultation will see further improvement and investment across Greater Manchester Police. Included in this will be increased numbers of frontline police officers, reduced response times, more arrests, more prosecutions, and improvements to neighbourhood and public transport policing. The police precept in Greater Manchester is one of the lowest in the country, however, the proposals will see an increase to the precept equating to around an additional 84p per month for a Band B household.
According to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the increase in the police precept and the government policing grant will allow for:
- Further progress to Greater Manchester Police, with it already sitting as the fastest improving force in the country.
- Continuing as one of the best police forces in the country when it comes to answering 999 and 101 calls.
- Improved response times for both emergency and non-emergency incidents.
- Maintained investment in neighbourhood policing and crime prevention teams.
- Investment for a further 30 police officers moving into frontline police roles in 2024/2025.
- Further policing of the transport network through Operation Vulcan.
- Investment in locking up even more criminals, with faster and better services for victims and witnesses.
- Investment in prosecuting offenders, focusing on more arrests for sex offenders.
Speaking about the proposals, Andy Burnham said:
“We need to think very carefully before we ask people for more money.
“I am really proud of the work of our emergency services in Greater Manchester, but they need more support to help them continue to improve.
“It is unfortunate that we haven’t received the funding package we needed from central government which doesn’t fully cover inflation. This has left me with no choice but to propose an increase to the Police and Fire precepts, but I don’t want to further add to the local tax burden which is why I am proposing to freeze the mayor’s precept.
“I have seen first-hand the significant improvements GMP have made over the last year, culminating in an overall positive HMICFRC inspection. CMP call answering is the fastest in the country, officers are providing a much-improved response to emergency incidents, neighbourhood crime is falling and there have been big successes in disrupting organised crime.
“However, we are still on the journey to make GMP the best force in the country and combined with real terms cut in the national policing grant, I am compelled to ask our local council taxpayers to pay a modest increase to help GMP continue to provide the service our communities deserve to keep them safe. I want us to have a police force that everyone can be proud of that is victim-centred and reduces crime.
“Similarly, with GMFRS, there have been huge improvements in recent years, but we want to go further and invest in more fire engines and protection and prevention work to keep our communities safe.”
Alongside improvements to Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will benefit from a proposed increase to the Fire precept. The precept funding in Greater Manchester is the lowest in the country, however, inflation threatens to half improvements if investment doesn’t increase. A £3.89 increase for a Band B property will help to increase prevention and protection, as well as faster emergency responses – supported by the purchasing of a new fire engine.
Kate Green, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor for Policing, Crime, Fire and Criminal Justice, also commented:
“I’m delighted with the improvements we’ve seen in recent years in GMP and GMFRS and that communities can see what a difference strong leadership, prioritising things that matter to people and investing in frontline services has made.
“We are not complacent, and we recognise that more needs to be done so it is vital that we continue to invest in the areas that are important to our communities by doing more in neighbourhood and public transport policing, responding to incidents quicker and arresting and prosecuting more offenders as well as recruiting more frontline officers, purchasing more fire engines and protecting people from fire incidents.”
Image credit: iStock
