Police are left facing budget gap of £12m

Former Leigh MP and police and crime commissioner Andy Burnham has indicated £5 and £12 a year average rises are being considered to help fund Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

But further options may be put forward before the precept is discussed by the county’s police and crime panel tomorrow.

Councillors sitting on the panel have been told that the provisional settlement for GMP in 2018-19 will be the same as 2017-18.

Increasing costs, including pay awards for officers, means this will effectively require savings of £12m, the panel has heard.

And the Home Office “top-sliced” £55m from the force’s main grant for national policing initiatives.

In a report Mr Burnham said: “The number of police officers has reduced by 2,000 since 2010.

“The force faces increased threats from terrorism, serious and organised crime, child sexual exploitation, serious sexual offences and cyber-crime.”

Last year was the first time, under austerity measures, that GMP had been a delegated budget to improve recruitment, he added, enabling 500 officers to be employed.

If approved, a £5 per annual household increase, for a band D level property, would provide an extra £3.6m and £12 would release an additional £8.7m.

The police precept, which usually represents around 10 per cent of the overall council tax bill, will be agreed in early February.