Warwickshire PCC launches police precept consultation

Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Ball wants to hear your views as he considers setting the police budget for 2016/17.  He is asking all members of the public if they are willing to contribute around a penny a day extra in order to maintain frontline policing levels.

In November, the Government announced plans in its Comprehensive Spending Review to keep policing budgets at current levels during the life of this Parliament.  As has now been made clear by the Home Secretary in a letter to PCCs, the only way that police funding will remain at the same level will be if the police precept – the small portion of each council tax bill that pays for policing – is raised by the maximum permitted amount of 1.99% each year by every PCC.   Without this, Government resource funding to policing will actually be reduced by 1.3% in real terms over four years.

If the current police precept rate was frozen, Warwickshire Police would lose around £0.709 million next year and £0.709 million in each subsequent year, resulting in a financial gap of around £2.836 million by 2020.  This would have a significant impact on frontline policing and could reverse the recent efforts which have seen the proportion of officers on the frontline increase to 95 percent, which is above the national average.

As a result, the Commissioner is proposing that the police precept is raised by 1.99% next year – equivalent to 31p per month or £3.75 per year on average for a Band D property – less than the price of a coffee and a cake at a leading high street coffee shop.

You can find more detail and give your feedback on this proposal by completing an online survey, which asks the simple question:

“Are you willing to spend an extra 31p per month for an average Band D property in order to maintain frontline policing levels?”

For more information and to take part in the consultation online, please visit: www.warwickshire-pcc.gov.uk/preceptsurvey

Alternatively, you can:

• Email opcc@warwickshire.gov.uk and stating ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question, plus any other supporting comments.
• Or write to Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner, 3 Northgate Street, Warwick CV34 4SP, again indicating whether you wish to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question and including any other supporting comments.

The consultation will close at midday on Monday, 18 January 2016.