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Greater Manchester Police precept consultation launched to drive further improvements

  • The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) precept public consultation has been launched today [6 January 2025].
  • The consultation proposes an increase of £14 a year for a band D property (£1.17 a month) - less than last year’s precept increase. This equates to £10.89 per year (91 pence a month) for an average Band B property. The majority of properties in Greater Manchester fall within Bands A and B. 
  • The Greater Manchester police precept remains one of the lowest in the country 
  • The precept will fund the improvements that the people of Greater Manchester told us were important to them in the consultation of the newly launched ‘Standing Together’ Greater Manchester Police and Crime Plan 
  • This Plan builds on the strong track record of what was delivered with last year’s precept, which resulted in a 17 percent reduction in neighbourhood crime levels 
  • Improvements will include commitments to improve road and transport safety, the launch of a new Live Chat system for reporting safety concerns on the Bee Network, and the expansion of the international award-winning Operation Vulcan. 
  • The consultation period will run from Monday 6 January – Friday 17 January 2025 and people can have their say at www.gmconsult.org 

People across Greater Manchester are today being invited to have their say on proposals to increase the police precept that forms part of their council tax bill. Three-quarters of police funding comes from a central government grant and a quarter from what can be raised locally from the police precept. 

Combined with the government grant, this funding would enable Greater Manchester Police to build on the following improvements that have been delivered over the last few years.  

These are things people in Greater Manchester told us were important to them in the new Greater Manchester Police and Crime Plan, ‘Standing Together’, which was written following extensive engagement and consultation with communities across the city region: 

  • Remain one of the best police forces in the country in the speed of answering 999 calls 
  • Further improve 101 answering times 
  • Further improve GMP response times with a focus on improving non-emergency response times 
  • Further reduce and prevent neighbourhood crimes, Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and retail crime by investment in our prevention and neighbourhood policing teams 
  • Improve road and transport safety by continuing with Operation Vulcan in Piccadilly and Victoria and expanding this out to key hotspot areas across the city region 
  • Implement a new TravelSafe Live Chat service on the Bee Network which will allow people to report incidents on public transport in real-time 
  • Divert more children and young people away from crime by investing in preventative services 
  • Bring more sex offenders to justice 
  • Investment in GMP’s Professional Standards Department that oversees police conduct issues to improve public trust and confidence in policing. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We set out a number of commitments last year on what Greater Manchester Police would deliver with the precept, and they delivered on every one of them. GMP are now answering 999 calls in record time, attending incidents sooner and investing in neighbourhood policing and crime prevention teams. As a result, we’ve seen crime reduce across the board, with the most marked improvement in neighbourhood crime which has reduced by 17 percent in the past year. 

“I know that times are tough for our residents but investment through the precept is vital to maintain this improvement. Your money really does make a difference and this year you can expect to see an even better police service, a safer Bee Network and the launch of a new TravelSafe Live Chat messaging service to report crimes and increase safety.” 

Deputy Mayor for Safer and Stronger Communities, Kate Green, said: “With the help of funds raised through the precept last year, Greater Manchester Police remain one of the most improved police forces in the country. In 2024, the force was recognised as a world leader in tackling stubborn crime and Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), winning the international Goldstein Award for their problem-solving Operation Vulcan in Cheetham Hill.  

“I’m proud of the improvements Greater Manchester Police has made, but we recognise that more needs to be done to achieve what people told us they want to see in the new Greater Manchester Police and Crime Plan.” 

The public can respond to the police precept consultation at www.gmconsult.org by 17 January 2025. 

The final precept is scrutinised by the Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel which is made up of councillors from each of the 10 councils and is chaired by a councillor. 

Article Published: 06/01/2025 21:22 PM