Northamptonshire households set to pay more towards policing and fire services in next financial year
Northamptonshire households are set to pay more towards policing and fire services in the next financial year, including an increase above the government’s suggested cap.
A meeting of the police, fire and crime panel endorsed the £15 annual precept rise for the police and £12 increase for the fire service, which was proposed by Police Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) Danielle Stone.
Under both proposals, a Band D household would be paying £335 a year towards policing in 2026/27 – a 4.69 per cent increase on this year – and £92.39 to fire – a rise of around 15 per cent.
While the increase in council tax paid towards the policing element is the maximum allowed under the government cap, the amount sought for the fire service is more than double the suggested £5 increase limit. The PFCC still requires government approval for the higher rise without triggering a public referendum, with a decision expected next week.
Commissioner Stone told the meeting that the local fire and rescue service had the second lowest precept in the country and that they had to ask for government flexibility with the cap, otherwise there could be ‘some really serious cuts’.
According to the report, an online consultation run by the commissioner’s office received 2,219 responses, with 57 per cent of residents saying they were prepared to pay an increase of £14 or more for police services. However, 37 per cent stated they were not prepared to pay any more than they do now.
In comparison, 65 per cent of residents surveyed said they were prepared to pay an increase of £5 or more for fire services, with 28 per cent not supportive.
The PFCC told the panel that despite the increase in funding for policing and fire services, the force will still have to make savings within its budget. She explained that a lower increase than what had been proposed would put essential and frontline services further at risk.
Stone said: “I found this budget really difficult. For me, this is a maintenance budget. We haven’t got enough money to do exciting work that really needs to be done, considering AI, and things like that.
“This is like the status quo, you are going to get the next year what you got last year. If we have to tell the [police] chief to make even more savings, that’s going to seriously cut the resource that he’s got available, which will mean we get a lesser service this coming year than we did last year.”
The meeting heard that the chief constable would also need to make savings of £3.5m next year to balance budgets, alongside a savings requirement of £1.2m for the chief fire officer.
The police, fire crime panel has the power to support or make recommendations on the precept proposals, however it cannot set the levels itself.
It can also veto a particular precept and ask the commissioner to come back at a later date with a new proposal, though this would require a minimum of two-thirds of members to agree.
Both the £15 proposal for policing and the £12 proposal for fire were accepted, with the panel unanimously backing the latter.
If the additional precept flexibility for fire is not allowed, the commissioner will fall back to the £5 per annum maximum increase, which would raise yearly costs to £85.39 for Band D households.