Emergency services are set to increase their council tax precept charges this year.

The Thames Valley Police and Crime panel approved the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) proposed precept rise for 2018/19, while Bucks Fire and Rescue also announced a 2.99 per cent rise at its meeting this week.

The police precept increase means Band D properties will pay £1 more per month for that part of their bill, while the fire service will get an extra £1.82 per year per property – or around 15p per month.

It comes as it was revealed the police force’s mounted section and dog unit could be at risk of being cut in a bid to save money.

Cllr Trevor Egleton, chairman of Thames Valley Police and Crime panel, said: “[The increase] provides the force with limited investment in high priority areas such as vulnerability and maintains the force’s overall strength.

“However, the force will seek continuous improvement and to revisit how their resources are used. The Mounted Unit will not be reviewed until 2019 and vacancies arising in the dog handling unit will be reviewed as and when they arise, as is the case with all other force vacancies.”

TVP said panel members “expressed concern over the three year plan, despite there being a balanced budget, because of increasing demand for services and lack of government funding”.

The Police and Crime Panel is required to review the PCC’s precept, funding which is raised through council tax, and has the power to dismiss the precept and ask for a further meeting to consider a revised precept.

Members of Bucks Fire set a budget of £28,492,000 for 2018/19, which it says is around £282,000 more than last year.

Cllr Roger Reed, chairman of Buckinghamshire & Milton Keynes Fire Authority, said: “Over the previous seven years, our council tax increases have amounted to an average of 25p a year.

“Our staff have been excellent in changing the way they work and are certainly doing more than they ever have before to ensure that the community gets the best possible service.”

He added: “The government placed a three per cent cap on our council tax rise this year, even though we put the case strongly for a much higher limit.

“We will continue to make our case to the government in the hope of securing additional funding next year.

“For example, a rise in the region of an extra £10 a year on council tax would still put us below the average for fire authorities across England and below the average for parish councils.”