Mayor Andy Street - let West Midlands Police raise council tax to boost funding
West Midlands Police should be allowed to raise council tax to help the force combat spiralling crime rates, the region's Mayor has said.
Andy Street has urged the Government to give the force 'greater flexibility' to increase its council tax precept, which is currently one of the lowest in the country.
The Conservative Mayor also wants ministers to review the Government's grant to WMP, and to allow it to retain any funding from the growth of the region's council tax base – a move which he says would have bolstered the force's coffers by £3.5 million over the last year.
His demands are laid out in a letter to Policing Minister Nick Hurd, in which he says WMP has seen a 27 per cent reduction in Government funding since 2010.
Mr Street wrote: "I have seen for myself how these pressures have left the force overstretched, with resources being moved into areas with the greatest challenges, and the public feel that the police are unable to prioritise responding to crimes such as burglary and car theft."
He added: "I feel that West Midlands Police must be adequately funded to provide the services that the residents of the West Midlands rightfully expect."
Mr Street said that increasing the precept by £10 would still leave the force with the second lowest level in the country.
It currently stands at £116.55 for a Band D property. Crime has soared across the region over the last 12 months, rising by 14 per cent overall, with huge spikes in violent crime, burglary and offences involving weapons.
Last week, Labour's West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said he had been told to expect ‘an improved settlement’ when the Home Office reveals its force budgets next month.
It followed a meeting with Mr Hurd, who was in Birmingham to officially re-open the force’s refurbished Lloyd House headquarters.
WMP, which is the second biggest force in the country after the Met, has lost more than 2,000 officers over the last seven years and seen its funding drop by £145m.
The mayor is set to take over the role of PCC in 2020.
Mr Jamieson said: "I welcome the Mayor joining my campaign for more police funding.
"These calls from the Mayor come after the Policing Minister strongly signalled last week that a better funding settlement will be on its way before Christmas.
"The Mayor has followed scores of MPs ranging from Ian Austin and Jack Dromey, to former Cabinet Ministers such as Caroline Spelman, who have already called on the Government to improve funding for West Midlands Police.
"I am glad that the Mayor has finally added his voice to my campaign on this, several months after MPs on a cross-party basis already have."
