Have your say on police funding

It is the job of North Yorkshire’s elected Police and Crime Commissioner, Julia Mulligan, to set the precept, annually, and each year she consults with the public by asking them to take part in a survey to choose one of three options, these include:

• Freeze the precept – do not pay more than you pay now
  This would mean a cut to the police budget.
• Increase the precept by 1.99%
  This is an extra £4.40 per year (8p per week) for a Band D property.
  This would raise around £1.3 million for next year and subsequent years.
• Increase the precept by more than 1.99%
  This would raise more money.
  This would mean spending at least £700,000 on a referendum on the proposals.

The survey is available online at www.telljulia.com and paper copies will be on display at public buildings across North Yorkshire, such as police stations, libraries and council offices.

Julia Mulligan said: “Despite many challenges, I am pleased to say that that North Yorkshire remained the safest place to live and work in England throughout 2017.  Meanwhile, policing is continuing to evolve in North Yorkshire as it responds to the changing nature of crime and demands, including a greater focus on protecting and caring for vulnerable people.

“This coupled with reductions in funding from central government and our increasing costs, mean we will still need to save £3 million for the year. This would rise to £4.3 million if the precept was frozen.”

Currently, in North Yorkshire, about 53 per cent of police funding comes from the Government while the remaining 47 per cent is raised locally, mainly through the ‘police precept’—the amount you pay for local policing in your council tax.

Julia added: “All of these factors have to be taken into account as well as your views, so before I set the precept, it’s important that you tell me what you think, so please complete my survey before the end of January”

From consulting with you in the past, Julia developed a list of priorities for the Chief Constable. These include dealing with serious crimes such as child exploitation, domestic abuse and drugs, along with others, such as burglary and road safety, which remain public priorities. Julia is working hard with the Chief Constable to make sure these and other issues are tackled on your behalf, so that you can be safe and feel safe in your community.

Survey closes at midnight on Sunday 28 January 2018