AN INCREASE in the police precept of North Yorkshire's council tax has been approved.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan formally put forward her proposal to raise the police precept by 1.99 per cent to North Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Panel on Thursday.

The Panel accepted the proposal, and voted unanimously in favour of the increase which will mean an extra eight pence a week for the average Band D home.

The proposal followed a county-wide consultation in which respondents were asked about their views on the precept, with 61 per cent of respondents favouring an increase of 1.99 per cent, five per cent keen to increase it by more than two per cent, and 34 per cent wanting to freeze the precept.

Mrs Mulligan said: "When the Government decided on its contribution to North Yorkshire’s force, they assumed a precept rise of 1.99 per cent. That means a freeze in the precept would effectively mean a cash cut of £1.2 million.

"On top of the previous cuts and new demands on policing, that would inevitably hit services. I have therefore listened carefully to the public and, given their clear steer, feel this is the right action to take. This will, of course, help us fund the extra officers we are recruiting as well as the extra investment we are putting into tackling crimes involving vulnerable people."