Mayor of Greater Manchester proposes freeze on Mayor’s council tax precept

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, has proposed a freeze the Mayor’s council tax precept for the financial year 2024/25 in an attempt to ease ongoing cost-of-living pressures on residents.

If approved, the Mayor’s precept will be frozen at £31.75 for a Band D property and £24.69 for a Band B.

Burnham has also announced proposals for further investment in Greater Manchester’s emergency services which would see more frontline police officers and more fire engines on the street. These proposals are for the Police, Fire and Crime Panel and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to consider at the end of the month.

Consultation for the police precept opened on 4th January and proposes further improvements and investment in Greater Manchester Police (GMP), including more frontline police officers, faster response times, more arrests, more prosecutions, and improved neighbourhood and public transport network policing.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:  “I am proposing to freeze the Mayor’s precept for the coming financial year, recognising people are still under pressure with the cost of living. We need to think very carefully before we ask people for more money.

“I am really proud of the work of our emergency services in Greater Manchester, but they need more support to help them continue to improve.

“It is unfortunate that we haven’t received the funding package we needed from central government which doesn’t fully cover inflation. This has left me with no choice but to propose an increase to the Police and Fire precepts, but I don’t want to further add to the local tax burden which is why I am proposing to freeze the Mayor’s precept."

Image by Maxpinsoo from Pixabay