Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner defends council tax bill hike as 7.7% rise signed off

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Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has defended imposing a 7.7% hike in her portion of council tax bills.

The uplift in the police precept added to council tax bills for households across Northumberland and Tyne and Wear was signed off on Tuesday.

This will mean a £14 a year rise for a Band D property, the maximum level allowed by the Government, amounting to a 7.7% increase – more than triple the current rate of inflation.

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But PCC Susan Dungworth said that her police precept would continue to be the lowest in the nation and that residents would only be paying “a little bit more per month”.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth.Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth.

The majority of homes in the Northumbria force area are in Band A, which will see a £9.33 per year increase, with the plans expected to generate an extra £5.9 million.

The PCC’s office said the extra income would “help keep the force appropriately resourced, meet budgetary pressures and allow for some investment” – potentially in areas including tackling anti-social behaviour issues, child sexual exploitation, and cyber crime.

Mrs Dungworth, who succeeded fellow Labour politician and current North East mayor Kim McGuinness as PCC last year, told a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel for Northumbria: “I recognise the financial challenges facing everybody at the moment. None of us want to pay more taxes but in Northumbria we are paying the lowest amount of tax towards policing of anywhere in the country and we will still be the lowest in the country.”

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Members of the panel were told that Northumbria’s annual police precept for a Band D household in 2024/25 was £181.84 – compared to a national average of £281.

But Tory councillor Nick Oliver questioned how a 7.7% rise was being justified, when the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 2.5% in the 12 months to December 2024 and Government funding for the force is increasing by 3.7%.

He said: “Residents in Northumbria are being asked to stump up double what the Government are and treble what inflation is running at.”

Mrs Dungworth replied: “If we didn’t put it up by the £14 then we would not have the money allocated to policing. We would be cutting money to the police service.”

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