Bill Longmore pledges council tax freeze

12:42pm Friday 1st February 2013 in News By Tom Edwards

Police and crime commissioner Bill Longmore Police and crime commissioner Bill Longmore

POLICE and crime commissioner Bill Longmore has pledged to freeze council tax bills this year - admitting a public outcry had helped make his mind up.

West Mercia Police’s elected boss will peg the force’s portion of the council tax rise to zero, offering some welcome cheer to hard-pressed households.

Last month he raised the prospect of a two per cent rise from April, but since then more than 1,000 letters and emails have flooded into his office, with 70 per cent against it.

The force could have raked in £1.6 million from the increase, but decided against it following the correspondence.

Mr Longmore said: “We are trying to manage the finances so we’re not in a position where we have to put the council tax precept up.

“Many people said they didn’t want to see a rise so our conclusion was, let’s leave that money with people and not take it.

“We need to all go forward together, that includes the wider community and councils.”

The police only takes in 12 per cent of the council tax bill, with the rest going to the fire service, Worcestershire County Council and other district councils.

As your Worcester News reported last month 140 front line police officer jobs are being axed as part of a plan to save £20 million.

Bosses say they are hoping the jobs cull will be complete by April, and if so they could be in a position to start recruiting if any further staff leave beyond that point.

West Mercia Police has launched an alliance with Warwickshire Police aimed at saving a combined £31 million by 2016, which includes 450 civilian job losses.

The council tax freeze is subject to feedback from the watchdog-style police and crime panel, which is meeting on Tuesday at County Hall from 2pm.

Mr Longmore has also revealed that announcements on proposed police station closures won't be made until the end of February.

* For more on this story, see your Worcester News tomorrow.

Comments(16)

dropkick55 says...
3:59pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Bill Longmore = Ponce!

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fmrbill says...
5:01pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Bill I will come to u defence on this .well done gives me some faith in this postion. We are hurting out here cant keep paying these public services as if we a bottomless pit. I know there is money to save in the police might local guy tells me when im luck 2 see him. The waste is ignormous.Well done bill, just hope the council see sense as well

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bobby47 says...
5:15pm Fri 1 Feb 13

dropkick, This man, Mr Longmore served you and his country for thirty years making sure that you and your family could feel safe in your home and Town.
Whatever you or anyone thinks about his role, you've no right to call this man a name that he does not deserve.
You my friend are a disgrace to the art of Posting and you should feel ashamed of yourself.
I suggest you apologise to this man who's done you no harm at all and once that's done, perhaps I may feel better toward you and your mistake.

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bobby47 says...
5:27pm Fri 1 Feb 13

fmrbill, How's that money making farm doing old friend?

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Gillian1961 says...
6:25pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Is mr longmore on about the whole council tax or just the % that go's to the police that we do not get our money's worth from, crime were i live that gets reported you get a pretend copper CPO sent around to visit about a week late, And the whole council tax have you seen a pot hole being filled in i haven't

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WYSIATI says...
8:45pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Bobby - sire - with you - no need for homopohobic or any other abuse.

As for the headline - nonsense of course - Bill Longmore has no ability to control Council tax - he can apparently decide what the Police element of the council tax will be - but don't get carried away.

As for whether he's right - sorry to say that because he gets a few emails and most of them don't like the idea of an increase in costs that's not a good enough reason I am afraid. Isn't his responsibility to work out what is needed to deliver the services that are required - if he's done that in detail then good on him, if he's being populist and trying to make up for taking on his friends with no due process that's simply not good enough.

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induby says...
9:16pm Fri 1 Feb 13

who writes these headlines? ....."Bill Longmore pledges council tax freeze" is very misleading,why not say "Bill Longmore pledges to freeze police portion of council tax", its only 3 extra words and clarifies the situation perfectly.

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fmrbill says...
9:27pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Well wysati who u think should decide what money they need. I hope u not suggesting the police themselves as at they all seem to being arrested for selling things to the press or arrested for alledgly making things up ie Plebgate thats without hillsborough and all the other behind the scences we kno nothing about. I personally cant see the prob with the word PLEB at all or the context in which it was alledley used.

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Biomech says...
9:46pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Since when does the police commissioner control council tax rates?

Or do they mean hes decided to not take the portion of council tax that is usually allocated to the police? In which case, the title is very misleading and a thank you to longmore of we actually see this saving and it doesn't go straight into Jarvis' expense account

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fmrbill says...
9:59pm Fri 1 Feb 13

Biotech its just the west mercia percept bit not jarvis MOB main part of tax. Jarvis is like al capone with his mob

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oldergit says...
10:28pm Fri 1 Feb 13

He can't stop any increase in Counci Tax,only the Police precept. I bet Council Tax will go up 1.9%.

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Biomech says...
11:59am Sat 2 Feb 13

Yeah that's pretty much what I gathered - just kind of pushing a point ;P

But yes, I'm sure council tax will go up and if the cops don't take their cut it will find its way somewhere else.

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mayall8808 says...
2:27pm Sat 2 Feb 13

There is no need for the tax to even go up, less police, less maintenance on property as its being sold off, GREED comes to mind.

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Malvernrob says...
10:08pm Sat 2 Feb 13

Personally I think he's got this one wrong and is pandering to the press and his critics. I've actually supported him to the point that I feel he should at least be given a chance, but with crime rising, despite the lies we are being told about it falling, and with police numbers falling dramatically, it is clear the force desperately needs more money to sustain a level of policing that can at least off us some degree of security. Rest assured, as more criminals come to the UK for the easy pickings and lenient sentences if they are unlucky enough to be caught, crime will continue to rise, just don't believe he stats they come out with.

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DarrenM says...
7:56pm Sun 3 Feb 13

If Pratman fired his mate Robbin, that would save us 50k a year + pension!

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Gillian1961 says...
10:10am Mon 4 Feb 13

DarrenM wrote:
If Pratman fired his mate Robbin, that would save us 50k a year + pension!
It would not be so bad if he was paying his understudy out of his own wages

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