Greater Manchester council tax to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing

Council tax could be increased across Greater Manchester to help fund improvements to policing.

Once again, just as they have been for the past couple of years, residents across Greater Manchester are being urged to have their say on proposals to increase the police precept that forms part of their council tax bill. 

Three quarters of police funding comes from a central Government grant, but the remaining quarter comes from Greater Manchester Combined Authority‘s (GMCA) police precept.

The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.

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The Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is dedicated to delivering on community promises and making greater Manchester a safer place to be.

To continue excelling as one of the best police forces in the country, we want to understand what matters most to you about local… pic.twitter.com/7d5OhVXF7P

— Mayor of Greater Manchester (@MayorofGM) January 13, 2026

GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.   

To maintain the investment required for policing to protect the public, GMCA has proposed an increase to the police precept by £11.66 per year (£0.97 a month) for a Band B property, which would equate to £15 per year (£1.25 a month) for a Band D property.

80% of households in Greater Manchester are in Bands A-C, just to provide some context.

As a result of last year’s police precept increases, GMP says it was able to reduce neighbourhood crime by 15% across all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester, and overall, there was an increase in trust and confidence, with around 65% of local residents saying they were ‘confident’ they could get help from GMP in an emergency.

If the police precept is to be increased this year, as GMCA hopes, the ambition is to maintain a ‘high performing’ police service, and enable GMP to build on its track record of improvement.

“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham.

“The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.

“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources. 

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“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”

The Greater Manchester public can respond to the police precept consultation online at www.gmconsult.org until next Wednesday 21 January.

Featured Image – GMP