Give your views on the next police budget and how it should be spent
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe is keen to hear the views of everyone living and working in the county as he looks to set the budget for policing in 2022/23.
He has launched a simple survey to allow people to give their feedback on how much households should pay for policing, as well as finding out their priorities for how this should be spent.
The consultation comes as the Government has confirmed funding is in place to support the continued recruitment of new police officers, which will see Warwickshire Police reach its highest ever total of 1,100 by the end of 2022.
Aside from the core central grant from Government, just under half of the police budget is made up from Council Tax contributions, through the Police Precept.
In its settlement announcement, the Government gave Police and Crime Commissioners the flexibility to increase the Police Precept by up to £10 a year on an average Band D property – around 83 pence per month. Mr Seccombe is consulting on a range of options for the Precept to gauge public feedback.
He said: “I know that these are not easy financial times for many households and that’s why it’s important I gather the views of local people and council tax payers as to whether an increase in the precept is justified and if so, what priorities it should be spent on.
“My aim is to seek a fair outcome which keeps taxation levels as low as possible while also protecting local services. However to do this, I really need people’s input so I can best understand where that balance may lie.
“It will only take a small amount of time to complete the survey and your views will help to shape my draft budget, which I will set out in January. I would encourage everyone who lives, works or studies in Warwickshire to have their say before the consultation closes.”
The ‘Your Police, Your Views’ survey is online until January 17, 2022.
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire
Our mailing address is:
Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire 3 Northgate Street
Warwick, Warwickshire
CV34 4SP
United Kingdom