The Conservative candidates for North East Mayor, Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson and Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Ros Munro, have criticised current Labour PCC and mayoral candidate, Kim McGuinness for the increase in the policing element of Council Tax, known as the policing precept, in the Northumbria Police area.
Local ratepayers will receive their Council Tax statement for the 2024/25 in the next few days and will see a 7.7% increase in the policing precept on their bills. Since Ms McGuinness became Police and Crime Commissioner in 2019, this charge has increased by over a third. When compared to 2014/2015, when Labour’s Vera Baird QC became Northumbria’s first PCC, charges for a Council Tax band D property have more than doubled from £86.61 a year to £181.84 in 2024/25.
Conservative candidate for Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Ros Munro said:
“Lots of people in Northumbria will be receiving their updated Council Tax bills in the next few days and wondering what they’ve gotten out of such a substantial increase in the policing precept. With overall crime up by 6%, serious violence up by 4%, and knife crime up by 13%, it is difficult to see how these additional funds have improved policing in Northumbria.
“As your Police and Crime Commissioner, I would work to ensure Northumbria Police delivers value for taxpayers, whilst also working to improve resource allocation, innovation and officer deployment to bring crime down.”
Conservative candidate for North East Mayor, Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson said:
"As council tax bill land on doorsteps across the North East, it has not gone unnoticed that Kim Mcguinness' police have the biggest tax rise yet again. If elected mayor I will never raise a penny on council tax or business rates. Labour can't be trusted to keep taxes down for households across the North"
