Ann Barnes has announced that Kent's team of Special Constables will have the police part of their council tax paid for them, by the force, from 2014.
She says although the money is what she calls "a drop in the ocean" it's an important thank-you gesture to the officers, who are all unpaid volunteers. David Johns has the story.
He talks to Deputy Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, Special Constable Mohammed Rahman, Kent PCC Ann Barnes, Chief Officer of Kent Special Constabulary Gavin McKinnon, and Special Constable Jason Bushell.
People living in Brighton and Hove will be paying almost two per cent more council tax this financial year.
Councillors approved the 1.96 per cent rise last night - the maximum increase allowed. Labour supported the minority Green administration's plan to increase the tax by the maximum amount possible. The Conservatives recommended a tax freeze.
Green councillors said the rise was necessary to safeguard services.
Children's centres, roads and social care - all will be feeling the pinch as Oxford County Council struggles to balance its books. Councillors have been voting today on how best to save millions of pounds. As Divya Kohli now reports, it means all departments will have to tighten their belts.
Council tax looks set to rise 1.99% in Oxfordshire as the council aims to save £77m between now and 2017. The biggest savings will be £28m in Adult Social Care. Charges for day centres will triple in the next two years. Divya Kohli asked pensioners for their views.
Council tax rise and cuts to services in Oxfordshire
Council tax looks set to rise 1.99% in Oxfordshire as the council aims to save £77m between now and 2017.
The biggest savings will be £28m in Adult Social Care. Charges for day centres will triple in the next two years from £4.18 a day to £15 for five hours for pensioners.
Other proposals include an £800,000 cut from the children's centres budget but the council insist none of Oxfordshire's 44 centres will close. The council will also introduce 24-hour charges at park & rides.
Council tax has been frozen for the last two years Credit: Press Association
Maidstone Borough Council will consider a proposal to increase its council tax, for the first time in two years, when it meets on Wednesday 27 February.
The borough council has frozen its council tax for each of the last two years. This year the cabinet is recommending an increase of 1.9% or £4.23 a year for a Band D taxpayer.
"The 8p a week increase is within the government’s threshold for council tax increases. The cabinet decided not to recommend accepting the Council Tax freeze grant because it is only equivalent to a 1% increase for two years.
Following that time the council would have to make bigger savings when the grant is withdrawn." It says it needs to protect services in the next and future financial years.
The budget includes proposals to provide support for parishes of £110,631 in 2013-14 to compensate them for the loss of income due to council tax benefit changes which will reduce the amount they collect in tax from their residents.
Campaigners say the vulnerable and the young will be hardest hit as council services are cut and jobs will be lost to make millions of pounds of savings. Portsmouth Council have agreed to a budget aiming to save £9 million pounds from April. Fred and Sangeeta link to Andrew Pate.
Wiltshire and Swindon households will benefit from a freeze on the police element of council tax during the next financial year.
The proposal from Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson was formally confirmed by the Police and Crime Panel yesterday.
It means that the average Band D household in Wiltshire and Swindon will pay £157.77 for police services, as well as community safety services Mr Macpherson can commission.
The same amount as last year and the year before that.
I am very pleased that residents will benefit from this cap on the policing part of the council tax, especially in the current economic climate.
“I am confident that we can keep the cost of policing down for households while maintaining effective frontline services.”
Surrey County Council's Cabinet is to meet later today to consider a proposal to raise council tax for the next financial year by 1.99%.
The Council says the increase would allow for greater investment in schools, roads and care for vulnerable people.
Members will also discuss rejecting the Government's offer of introducing a freeze on council tax for the county. According to the council if the authority took up the offer, it would lead to a black hole of £50 million - equivalent to the loss of the road maintenance bill for around three years.
The proposals will go before the full council at a meeting next week.
Although this is a difficult decision in the current economic climate, people have consistently told us that roads, schools and care for the vulnerable are what matter to them most. That’s why we want to invest in them now.
“The Government has offered us a one-off grant if we freeze council tax. Accepting it would be the wrong decision for Surrey as it would cripple our finances for the future. It would saddle us with a £50 million black hole in our budget in just five years and prevent us from investing in services when people need them most.
“The easy option as a politician would be to park the problem until after the election. But it would saddle Surrey with a financial time bomb that would go off in five years time. And that would be an irresponsible decision for us to recommend.”
– David Hodge, Conservative - Leader, Surrey County Council
