2022/2023 Precept consultation
How much are you willing to pay for your Police and Fire & Rescue Service?
On Monday 13 December, Zoë Metcalfe, North Yorkshire’s newly elected Police Fire and Crime Commissioner launched her consultation to gather the public’s views on how much they are willing to pay in their council tax for North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The consultation consists of an open, online survey which all residents are encouraged to complete and a representative sample of 1,000 telephone interviews.
Survey closes Thursday 13 January 2022.
Zoë Metcalfe, your elected Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, is responsible for setting the local ‘precepts’ for Police and Fire and Rescue in North Yorkshire and City of York.
Your council tax bill shows a breakdown for the proportion of council tax paid to the Police Service and separately, the Fire and Rescue Service. This element is known as the ‘precept’ and is the amount you pay to fund these services through your council tax.
The two services have distinct finances and funding and the precept for one cannot fund the other.
Before setting the levels of precept, Zoë would like to know your views on possible options.
Click here to start the survey
Police
Last year, in light of the financial impact of Covid, the Commissioner set a 1.99% increase which covered the rate of inflation but didn’t allow for any additional investment in policing services.
This year, the Government has said that the Commissioner can increase the policing precept by up to £10, which is 3.7% for an average Band D property, but the Commissioner wants to know what you think.
Money raised beyond paying for inflation will be invested in enhancing services to support victims of violent crime, particularly women and girls, and in services to tackle the root causes of harm and offending behaviour.
It will also contribute to additional training, equipment and support for new Police Officers recruited to North Yorkshire Police through the national Policing Uplift Programme.
The following options are based on an average Band D property currently paying £271.06 each year for policing.
- No more than I pay now – a precept freeze
This would be a cut to the police budget due to inflation and current service delivery could not maintained. - Up to £5.39, an increase of 1.99%
This would raise £1.6 million, however this is likely to be a below inflation rise and would be a challenge to maintain current service delivery with no additional investment in policing services. - Up to £10, an increase of 3.7%
This would raise £3.0 million, is likely to be slightly in excess of inflation and would provide limited scope for investment in the policing services mentioned. - Up to £15, an increase of 5.5%
This would raise £4.6 million, exceeds inflation and would mean a significant investment in the policing services mentioned.
How much do I pay now for the Police Precept?
What do I pay now and what would an increase of £10, which is 3.7% for an average Band D property, mean to me?
| Property Band | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | Increase per year | Increase per week |
| A | £180.71 | £187.37 | £6.67 | £0.13 |
| B | £210.82 | £218.60 | £7.78 | £0.15 |
| C | £240.94 | £249.83 | £8.89 | £0.17 |
| D | £271.06 | £281.06 | £10.00 | £0.19 |
| E | £331.30 | £343.52 | £12.22 | £0.23 |
| F | £391.53 | £405.98 | £14.44 | £0.28 |
| G | £451.77 | £468.43 | £16.67 | £0.32 |
| H | £542.12 | £562.12 | £20.00 | £0.38 |
Fire and Rescue
Last year, the precept cap was below inflation making it difficult to maintain current service delivery and did not allow for any investment. We’ve made significant savings to protect frontline services, but new financial pressures, such as unfunded pay increases, mean we are now forecasting an annual £1 million budget deficit for the next 4 years which is not sustainable.
This year, the Government is likely to cap the fire and rescue precept at 1.99% which is a maximum increase of £1.47 per year for an average Band D property.
This will again be below inflation, meaning a cut to the Fire Service’s budget.
The Commissioner is making the case to Government for precept flexibility for Fire, which the public have supported in previous years, but we want to know whether you continue to support that.
An increase beyond the 1.99% cap, would help remove the budget deficit and allow investment in our on-call firefighters to improve how often your on-call fire engines are available, and in our fire engines and fire stations to ensure our equipment and facilities are fit for purpose.
The following options are based on an average Band D property currently paying £74.14 each year for Fire and Rescue.
- No more than I pay now – a precept freeze
This would mean a significant cut to the fire and rescue budget due to inflation and current service delivery could not be maintained. - Up to £1.47, an increase of 1.99%
This would raise £450k, which is expected to be below inflation making it very difficult to maintain current service delivery with no additional investment in Fire and Rescue services. - Up to £5, an increase of 6.7%
This would raise £1.5 million, which exceeds inflation, and would help reduce the financial shortfall and allow some investment in the areas mentioned. - Up to £10, an increase of 13.5%
This would raise £3.0 million, which exceeds inflation, and would help reduce the financial shortfall and allow significant investment in the areas mentioned.
How much do I pay now for the Fire and Rescue Precept?
What do I pay now and what would an increase of £1.47, 1.99%, for a Band D property, mean to me?
| Property Band | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | Increase per Annum | Increase per Week |
| A | £49.43 | £50.41 | £0.98 | £0.02 |
| B | £57.66 | £58.81 | £1.15 | £0.02 |
| C | £65.90 | £67.21 | £1.31 | £0.03 |
| D | £74.14 | £75.61 | £1.47 | £0.03 |
| E | £90.62 | £92.42 | £1.80 | £0.03 |
| F | £107.09 | £109.22 | £2.13 | £0.04 |
| G | £123.57 | £126.03 | £2.46 | £0.05 |
| H | £148.28 | £151.23 | £2.95 | £0.06 |
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