TAXPAYERS are being asked whether they are willing to pay an extra £5 a year to pay for policing.

Northumbria Police is to ask residents in the force area for their views on an increase in the police precept which would see the Council Tax for a Band D property go up by £5 a year for the coming financial year.

The force, which has the lowest police precept in England and Wales, says it has been told it will receive a central Government grant of £222.7m for 2017-18, a cut of £3m.

However, the force has been told the figure will be increased to £259.6m if it increases the amount it raises locally through council tax precept.

At present, Band D residents in the force area pay £93.33 per year in Council Tax to pay for the police.

The proposal would see Band D take rise by £5 a year while Band A homes, which make up the majority of taxpayers in the area, would go up by £3.33 a year.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dame Vera Baird said: “The Chief Constable and I are doing our very best to preserve the high standards of policing that we are used to here and we have looked at all options to save money to protect neighbourhood policing.

“This is truly becoming a struggle now with repeated government cuts.

“If the police precept is not increased by £5 per year for a band D property, it will have a further significant downward impact on what we can achieve”.

“I am therefore asking if people would be content to pay a maximum increase of 10p a week on a Band D property to minimise further cuts. I want to hear what local residents think is best for Northumbria.”

A consultation exercise on the proposals will continue until January 22.