ALMOST 65 per cent of residents who responded to a survey on the police precept, have backed a suggested increase.

Julia Mulligan, police and crime commissioner for North Yorkshire recently ran a 20-day consultation on the police precept, along with the Police and Crime Panel.

More than 1,500 residents responded to the survey and almost 65 per cent of them voted in favour of a 1.99 per cent increase.

About a third voted in favour of freezing the precept.

A 1.99 per cent increase would equate to 8p a week for the average B and D home, or £4.15 extra per year. Across the whole county an increase in the policing tax will raise about £1.2 million.

A decision on the precept will be formally made later this month and will then go before the Police and Crime Panel for consideration in February. Mrs Mulligan said: “The public have been quite clear that they are happy to pay more for local policing. I respect that decision and I am minded to implement a 1.99 per cent precept increase.”

Mrs Mulligan’s office said police funding in North Yorkshire is in a “relatively good state” due to the fact that about 55 per cent of funding coming from the government and 45 per cent locally and from other places. This means reductions in funding from government has less effect than it does elsewhere in the country.