As a result of the provisional Police Grant announced on Tuesday (19 Dec), Leicestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lord Willy Bach has launched an on-line survey asking residents whether they are prepared to pay the £1 a month extra towards policing.
Announcing the details of the police settlement, Policing Minister Nick Hurd said that the Government is empowering locally elected police and crime commissioners to raise precept contributions (the policing portion of the council tax) by up to £1 a month for a typical (Band D) household. However, the Government’s police grant will remain unchanged.
In 2017/18 the budget for policing Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland was set at £171.6m, of which two-thirds comes from Central Government with a third coming from local taxpayers through the policing element of the council tax.
A £1 a month increase would see council tax payers living in a Band D property pay an annual total of £199.23 in 2018/19 towards policing. This year, a Band D household pays a total of £187.23.
Willy Bach said today: “It is my duty to ensure an effective and efficient police service for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
“Since I took up this role, the Chief Constable and I have been resolute in our calls for an increase in funding for Leicestershire Police but the Police Grant continues to decline in real terms. However, now the Government has given PCCs the flexibility to raise desperately-needed additional funds through the policing element of the Council Tax.
“I would like to hear what local people feel about this proposal, which will see local council tax payers paying up to £1 per month more towards policing, so I urge people to visit my website and complete the short survey.
“I do believe that this decision recognises that police forces, including Leicestershire, need additional funding to protect neighbourhood policing, to boost counter-terrorism activity and to provide new technology to enhance efficiency.
“Increasing council tax is never an easy choice but with no alternative source of income to plug the funding gap we are left with little alternative in the interests of the long-term safety of our city, county and Rutland.”
The survey can be found at http://www.leics.pcc.police.uk/budget-consultation
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Posted on Friday 22nd December 2017