Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe has welcomed the Home Office’s announcement on police funding, which gives PCCs greater flexibility to increase the budgets of their local forces.
Alongside additional money for counter terrorism and national policing priorities, as well as transformation projects, the Government’s Provisional Grant Settlement includes greater flexibility to vary the police precept – the amount raised through local Council Tax bills.
Previously, the amount PCCs could raise the police precept by was capped at 2%. This has now been increased, to a maximum of £12 on a Band D Council Tax bill. Together with the flat cash grant from central government, this could mean an additional £2.9 million is available to invest in policing locally in 2018/19.
Mr Seccombe said: “I have been lobbying ministers hard for fair funding for policing which acknowledges the challenges that forces face, both nationally and locally. I am delighted therefore with the Home Office’s announcement that the precept cap has been lifted, giving me the potential to raise additional funding to support frontline policing here in Warwickshire.
“Additional funding will be very welcome as I continue my ambitious programme of modernisation to ensure that Warwickshire Police has the right technology, training and people to protect communities and deal effectively with changing nature of crime.
“I believe the funding announcement from the government is fair and I am keen to do all I can to protect our frontline policing services here in Warwickshire. I am now consulting the police and our partners across local government to assess their views and needs as I begin the process of setting Warwickshire Police’s budget for 2018/19.
“In the coming days I will also be launching a public consultation to ask residents if they would be prepared to pay more per household for Warwickshire Police through an increase in the precept. I am keen to hear a wide spectrum of views from across the county before I make my final decision on the precept early in the New Year.”
