Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of granting Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioners the authority to independently determine the level of council tax precept increases for police and fire services in their areas.

The Government is committed to keeping taxes on working people as low as possible.

Following consultation on the provisional local government settlement the final set of referendum principles will be put before the House of Commons for approval in the New Year.

It is for Police and Fire Authorities to decide at what level they set their council tax.