Over 19,000 sign petition to increase council tax and save PCSO’s

More than 19,000 people signed a petition to increase council tax in a bid to help 72 PCSO’s from Nottinghamshire Police who face loosing their jobs because of budget cuts.

The petition is calling for a five pound rise in council tax to help save 72 Nottinghamshire Police Community Support Officers (PCSO’s) from loosing their jobs.

The union for police and other services, Unison, started the regional campaign to gather public support after the proposed £2.8million cuts posed a threat to some of Nottinghamshire’s PCSO’s jobs.

Dave Ratchford, the Head of Unison Police and Criminal Justice for the East Midlands said: “PCSO’s are the link between police and communities.

Public response to this campaign has been overwhelming and humbling.

The Head of Unison Police and Criminal Justice for East Midlands, Dave Ratchford.

Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: “Every force, including Nottinghamshire, has faced and made big cuts to its budget over the last four years. The promise of similar sized cuts over the next four years goes beyond a challenge.

“This will effectively see the amount of funding we receive from Central Government halved over the period 2010-2020.”

The union are hoping the public will be willing to pay an extra five pounds on their council tax to support the policing service in Nottinghamshire, which they believe is vital to stop crimes from escalating.