Cumbria Police Authority today approved a 3.0 per cent rise in council tax to ensure that Cumbria Constabulary can maintain the high standards of policing that have made the county one of the safest places to live, work and visit in the UK.
The Authority has had to strike a difficult balance. It approved the 3.0 per cent increase so as to limit the reduction in resources available to the Chief Constable in 2010-11, while at the same time limiting the financial impact on tax-payers.
The total budget approved by the authority increased by just 2.8 per cent, from £100.300m in 2009-10 to £103.088m in the coming year, and follows a grant increase of only 2.5 per cent from central government.
Chairman of Cumbria Police Authority, Councillor Ray Cole, said: “The 3.0 per cent increase in council tax that we agreed today will cost a household living in a band ‘D’ rated property an extra 11p per week for their policing. For band ‘B’ properties which is the more typical household rating in Cumbria, the increase will be around 8.5p per week.
“These figures have been achieved only by the Constabulary identifying £3m of savings and support from balances and reserves and should be compared to a “Continuation” budget, which would have meant a council tax increase of over 11 per cent.
Chief Constable Craig Mackey added: “This budget reflects the difficult financial times being experienced by organisations throughout the public sector and has been calculated to ensure that Cumbria Constabulary remains a high performing force.
“We have already identified our budget savings for 2010/11 however, we will have some budget challenges to face in the coming months as we work towards a more efficient and effective police force.
“We are working with the Police Authority and constantly monitoring our budget position to ensure that we provide the communities of Cumbria with the best policing service financially possible.”