Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen has launched his first consultation on the budgets for both Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service budget and for the Cumbria Police budget for 2025/26 along with proposed increases to the precepts paid by households on their council tax for both fire and police.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: "Having been a public servant for 40 years, both as a police officer and in our NHS, I stood as your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner on a simple, yet important principle - to improve the public services that protect Cumbria and to increase visibility of policing.
"Coming into office, I inherited a financial position where the Constabulary has faced a decade and a half of budget cuts – a reduction of £26million between 2010-2017. This meant that police stations closed across Cumbria and most of our rural market towns no longer have police stations. The public routinely tell me that they do not see the police in their communities.
"Protecting not only the residents of but also the millions of visitors to our great county is paramount. But this can only be done if we have the funding to do it.
"I am confident, however, that with your support we can and will change that.
"The Chief Constable, Rob Carden, is returning police to our communities. The Community Beat Officers (CBOs) and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) that we have invested in form the core of the Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams. They are making a significant difference in tackling anti-social behaviour and crime. There is however, much more to do.
"Learning from the past but looking forward, it is my aspiration to build a police service fit for the challenges of the future, and it is with this in mind that I am preparing my proposals for council tax precept. Putting visible policing back on the streets to protect you, the public, is at the forefront of my mind and my strategy.
"In preparing the police budget for 2025-2026, I have to set the amount of council tax precept for policing. This is your contribution towards the cost of policing in Cumbria. Policing is funded by around 60% from government grants and 40% from you, in the form of local council tax. It is therefore important, and only right, that I ask you what you want and what you are willing to pay for.
"Given the funding position that we find ourselves in, we are still looking at having to make significant efficiency savings of 11% or £14 million between now and 2029. I have already saved this 11% from my own office, the same as the Constabulary has to save. Net savings of £1.254m have already been identified by the Constabulary and my Office with further reviews ongoing. These savings do not impact on front-line policing or staffing and will increase to £1.7m by 2028/29
"In order to ensure that we maintain proper, fit for purpose, neighbourhood policing, where you know your named police officer and they in turn protect you and your community. I am proposing to increase the policing part of your council tax precept, this will mean an increase of £1.16 per month for a Band D property (£13.95 a year for a Band D property). This equates to just under 4p per day for the provision of one of the best performing forces in the country.
"As your Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, protecting Cumbria is my number one priority and to do that I need to invest in our policing services. Should I not do so, the savings that already have to be found will be larger and cumulative over years and will have a significant and detrimental effect on what the Constabulary can do and provide going forward. This rise allows me to ensure efficiency in services but also provide protective services for future generations.
"In my role, I see first-hand, day in day out, the vital work our officers undertake to keep you, the residents of Cumbria safe, and I do not wish to see this compromised or reduced any further than it already has been.
"The recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary’s Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) independent Peel Report graded Cumbria Constabulary as one of the best performing in the country. I want to ensure that we build on our successes and also continually make improvements to ensure a greater quality of service delivery.
"I am making your police force even more local, visible and accessible. More visible policing means more deployments, more local problem solving, more local partnerships, more crimes solved, and safer streets with reduced anti-social behaviour. Our hotspot policing is reaping rewards with anti-social behaviour being cut in some areas by more than a third. If I chose not to increase council tax, these efforts would have to be dramatically scaled back and our policing would have to look dramatically different.
"It has been my intention since taking office to implement a neighbourhood policing pledge. This will be launched in January alongside the Constabulary which will demonstrate what you can expect from your Police Service and how your local neighbourhood policing teams will be at the heart of communities, protecting you and keeping you safe."
Proposed Council Tax Precept by Council Tax Band:
Band A £216.00 4.50%
Band B £252.00 4.50%
Band C £288.00 4.50%
Band D £324.00 4.50%
Band E £396.00 4.50%
Band F £468.00 4.50%
Band G £540.00 4.50%
Band H £648.00 4.50%
You can complete the survey by visiting - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JLVZLLB
The survey closes on Wednesday 29 January at 5pm.
Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said:"Coming into office, I inherited ageing fire buildings and fleet which had received little investment over a number of years. My priority for Cumbria Fire and Rescue is to ensure that there is a balanced budget and that the Fire Service has the resources to keep you safe when you need them most.
"Protecting the residents of and the visitors to our great county is paramount. This can only be done properly if we have the correct funding.
"Already we have invested in new appliances and new technologies including in new turntable ladders at a cost of £750,000 each. These pieces of equipment will assist Firefighters tackling serious incidents – if this equipment helps save even one life, then it is absolutely worth the investment. There is still a lot more to do to bring the service back to acceptable levels of resources.
"Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service provides a good service to our communities across Cumbria, from emergency responses to fires and rescues, to prevention work with communities, providing information and advice to our most vulnerable residents, or by visiting schools and colleges to educate our children about potential dangers. The service will always be there to respond to emergencies. However, they need the support of you, the public, to continue to provide the best possible service in all areas of their work.
"In preparing the Fire budget for 2025-2026, I have to set the amount of council tax for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. This is your contribution towards the cost of Fire and Rescue Services in Cumbria. Fire is funded by around 38% from government grants and 62% from you, in the form of local council tax. It is therefore important, and only right, that I ask you what you want and what you are willing to pay for.
"It is with public safety at the forefront of my mind that I am proposing to increase the fire element of council tax by 9.5p a week (£4.95 a year) for a Band D property.
"This, I believe is a necessary step to ensure that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is there for you when you need them and is on a sound financial footing to invest in new technologies and ensure future generations are kept safe.
"In my role, I see day in day out the vital work our firefighters undertake to keep you, the residents of Cumbria safe and I do not want to see their ability to deal with emergencies reduced. I want to ensure that Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service is in the greatest possible position to continue to keep our communities across Cumbria safe.
"I hope you will support us in our efforts to ensure Cumbria Fire and Rescue continues to be an excellent service that you can rely on in your time of need."
Proposed Council Tax Precept by Council Tax Band:
Band A 65.46
Band B 76.37
Band C 87.28
Band D 98.19
Band E 120.01
Band F 141.83
Band G 163.65
Band H 196.38
Share your views on our survey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QM3XGZY
The survey closes on Wednesday 29 January at 5pm.
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