PEOPLE across Merseyside will get to have their say on whether they would pay extra tax to help protect police officer jobs.

The Government announced in December that Merseyside Police would receive no extra cash from the Home Office to tackle crime.

But policing minister Nick Hurd MP announced Police and Crime Commissioners would be expected to ask taxpayers to cough up an extra £1 a month towards their police service through council tax.

If Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy does not win the support of local taxpayers, Merseyside Police will be left facing a further shortfall of more than £3.17m – the equivalent of 64 police officer posts.

Ms Kennedy said: “The sad truth is that this government has once again left police forces around the country facing a funding black hole.

"They have washed their hands of their responsibility and instead are shifting the burden of paying for the police on to the shoulders of local council taxpayers.

“By freezing the grant provided by central government at the 2017/18 rate - a reduction on the previous two years - the Policing Minister has imposed a real terms cut on the police budget as we contend with pay and inflationary pressures.

"His proposal is that I make up this shortfall by asking local taxpayers to pay more.

“This is a step which I am reluctant to take, however, if I don’t raise the policing element of local council tax then Merseyside Police will be penalised and our communities adversely affected.

“This money will be used to save police officer jobs and help us to recruit 20 new armed officers who are needed to help tackling the scourge of serious and organised crime on Merseyside and to protect our communities.

“The Government did not bother to ask people if they would be willing to contribute more for policing before they made this announcement – instead they arrogantly assumed that local residents could stump up the cash.

“I know finances are tight for a lot of people on Merseyside at the moment so I don’t ask for this tax rise lightly.”

Since 2010 Merseyside Police has had to make cuts of £103m with an estimated £18m still to make by 2021/22.

Ms Kennedy will hold a Merseyside consultation asking people if they would be willing to contribute. 

The increase would equate to around 15p a week or £8 a year for a Band A household - the lowest Council Tax category and the amount paid by the majority of tax payers on Merseyside.

This would increase the police element of tax payers’ bills from £110.65 to £118.65 per year.

Even with this increase, the Commissioner and Chief Constable will still be forced to make savings of £7m over the next 12 months.

Ms Kennedy added: “Since 2015 the Government have assumed that Police and Crime Commissioners like myself will put up the council tax precept to minimise the impact of their cuts to funding.

"It is a move which comes from a government who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

“Any additional funding we can raise from the precept will not replace the 1,000 officers we have lost over the last seven years.

"However, it will mean that we will have 64 officers more by March 2019 than we would otherwise.

“In a climate of growing demands, rising crime and increasing calls for help from the public, I do not believe we can afford to lose any more officers.

“I am therefore forced to ask people on Merseyside if they would be willing to contribute that extra 15p a week to help protect vital frontline police services.”

People are invited to have their say through a short online survey at www.merseysidepcc.info by Sunday, February 4.

The commissioner will hold a surgery at Asda Birkenhead on Grange Road from 2pm to 4pm on Monday, January 29.