Warrington Labour shifts tax blame onto Cheshire Police

Warrington Labour has slammed Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner for raising the police precept by an 'eye-watering' amount.

But John Dwyer - the county's PCC - said Cheshire Police was among the best-performing police forces in the country and said he was more interested in keeping residents safe than 'playing politics'.

The 'precept' refers to the amount of money from council tax revenue that is given to a police service to fund its activities.

Warrington Labour has lashed out at Cheshire Police's 'eye-watering' precept increase (Image: Cheshire Police)

In a statement released by Warrington's branch of the Labour Party, the group says: "Cheshire’s Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer has increased the police precept by an eye-watering 6.4 per cent, the tax is paid by all residents in Warrington and contributes towards policing costs across Cheshire.

"Crime in Cheshire has increased by 1.6 per cent in the period between October 2021 and September 2022.

"However, offences such as theft from the person and possession of an offensive weapon have increased by more than 40 per cent."

The council's deputy leader, Labour's Cllr Cathy Mitchell, said: "We are forced to increase council tax because the Government does not provide adequate financial support - cutting our budget by nearly £69million per year.

“Our only focus in Warrington is supporting the people of Warrington.

“This past year we have all felt the effect of higher prices and the council is not immune to this either.

“The majority of the council’s budget protects our most vulnerable children and adults, it funds things like social workers and care staff."

Cllr Mitchell added: "This year we have to make another £13.6million in cuts, thankfully we have our investments that provide a profit to the council.

"If we didn’t have our investments, we would have to make another £23million in cuts.

“When the Tories say they would get rid of our investments and promised to freeze council tax at the last election, they are saying they want to inflict even more cuts on our public services here in Warrington.

Cllr Mitchell says the council's priority is delivering for the people of Warrington (Image: Newsquest)

The deputy leader concluded: “The Tories have a history of making unfunded financial promises, look at the mess Liz Truss made of the economy.”

This statement from Warrington's Labour Party is the latest to make no reference to the council's doomed investment into Together Energy, which collapsed in January last year.

Responding to the claims made by Warrington's Labour Party, Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, John Dwyer, said: "People expect their police service to be contactable, responsive, and proactive in tackling crime. Cheshire Constabulary has the most officers it has ever had. The police are answering the phone faster and getting to incidents faster for both emergencies and non-emergencies.

"More criminals are being arrested, and in Cheshire we have the highest charge rate for crime in the country.

“In my budget survey which received over 4,000 responses – more than any previous consultation - 76 per cent of respondents to a question about the police precept supported some form of rise. I am delighted to have that public backing in order to set a police budget that continues to protect our communities, following improved levels of service over the past year."

A war of words has erupted between Warrington's Labour councillors and the county's crime commissioner (Image: Newsquest)

Cheshire's PCC acknowledged that an increased precept means taxpayers will be paying more, adding: “I want people to see value for money from the precept they pay and at 6.4 per cent -  below the rate of inflation – the police precept rise acknowledges the cost of living. It represents an extra £15 per year for a Band D property. Some Warrington Councillors from the ruling group attempted to veto this.

"For context, Warrington Borough Council has since added £80 per year to a Band D property’s bill for their own portion of Council Tax. I understand the pressures facing all public services and the difficult decisions which have had to be taken.

“I want to work constructively with all elected representatives, in good faith, to deliver the police service that the public of Cheshire expects.

"Residents can be reassured of my commitment to putting the safety of their communities and policing ahead of politics.”

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