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Gwent’s police and crime commissioner has lowered her demands by 0.04% after being told to rethink raising local taxpayers’ bills.

Jane Mudd’s original proposals for local police funding were vetoed by an independent panel in January.

The panel – which is only able to veto proposals once – heard there was “no more room to manoeuvre” in negotiations when it met again in February to discuss the revisions.

The reduction to a 6.95% increase means people living in a typical Band D property will save around 15p over the course of the year, when compared with the original 6.99% proposal.

Caerphilly councillor Colin Mann, chairing the February meeting, said the revision could have been for an even smaller amount than the 0.04% presented to them.

Police precepts are added to council tax bills but are set by the region’s PCC, rather than by local authorities themselves.

Speaking at the January meeting, the commissioner said people wanted greater “visibility” from the police.

“None of this support for communities would be possible without us being able to secure this precept,” she told the panel at the time.

Gwent Police’s chief constable, Mark Hobrough, told the panel that “what we’ve achieved in the last year and what we want to achieve in the next year wouldn’t be possible without the support you provide us”.

The panel reconvened in February after receiving a revised budget proposal from the PCC.

Newport councillor James Peterson told colleagues he was “still of the same view” that the panel should have been given more information about the PCC’s accounts for 2025/26.

“There could be additional funds there,” he said. “Not a lot has changed for me, even though I welcome the lowering.”

Torfaen councillor Nick Byrne said the 0.04% reduction was “better than nothing” but added the panel had no more powers to veto the new proposal.

“There’s no point in saying I don’t agree with it… because nothing’s going to change,” he said.

Other panel members were minded to back the proposals.

Cllr Farzina Hussain, from Newport, said she backed the original rise “and I agree with this as well”.

Meanwhile, Torfaen councillor Lynda Clarkson said she was “minded to accept” the new rate.

“In reality the decrease that has been proposed was probably the minimum that could be respectfully done,” added Cllr Mann, who was chairing the meeting.

“There is a feeling, certainly I’ve got the feeling, that there was scope to reduce the precept more,” he added. “I think we all know the people we represent are struggling to pay anything and everything.

“Anything we can do to ease the burden on people, generally, I would have gone along with.”

Members of the panel went on to vote 3-2 in favour of the new rate.

The PCC’s report said “considerable consideration” was given to the panel’s feedback in January, but it was “paramount” to not affect operational policing, and the 6.95% precept rise will be the lowest in Wales this year and the lowest in Gwent for the past three years.

The PCC’s office has been contacted for further comment.