Taxpayers to pay more for policing

Council tax payers will have to fork out more cash to pay for the cost of policing in Staffordshire after an increase was approved.

Members of the police authority agreed to increase its share of the council tax by 2.8 per cent yesterday in what it claimed was a move to protect frontline policing.

The increase, one of the largest rises imposed on taxpayers by a public authority this year, will see an average Band D house paying an extra £5.20 a year.

The overall cost of the council tax will include rises from the county council, fire authority and borough councils which have not yet been finalised.

The police authority consulted 3,000 members of the public with 81 per cent agreeing to a rise in the region of three per cent.

At a meeting held at Staffordshire Police HQ yesterday county councillors Ian Parry and Gill Heath refused to support the rise although county council leader Philip Atkins did vote in favour.

He said the consultation was bound to see residents support an increase until it came round to them paying for it.

He said residents were facing tough times and it was vital the police authority recognised that adding: "I believe council tax should be set as low as possible. Inflation today is at 2.9 per cent and that is the only way I can support this, I could not support above inflation."

His deputy Ian Parry voted against the increase saying: "It may not be a lot of money but it is the principle of how we fund our public services. We really have to be hard nosed about this. Every year it seems to go up."

Chairman of the police authority and serving magistrate David Pearsall said: "This is a budget to try and protect our frontline services and continue to meet the needs of our communities in this very difficult financial climate."