The portion of the council tax bill that pays for police services will increase by 6.99% from April to help pay for 40 new officers.
Councillors on Gwent’s Police and Crime Panel narrowly voted to approve the rise, with six in favour and five against, despite concerns raised in a heated debate on Friday, January 25.
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, said the rise would equate to an extra £1.39 per month and would help bolster front line policing across the region.
Money will also go statutory pay awards and “unavoidable” inflationary pressures.
Mr Cuthbert said anything less than the proposed rise would “jeopardise” the force’s ability to protect and reassure the community.
But concerns were voiced by the panel about the impact on the council tax payer.
Councillors also questioned the need to include £1 million in the budget towards policing potential protests against the proposed M4 relief road – despite no decision having been made on the controversial project.
“We may never see the M4 relief road so is that £1m up for grabs?” questioned Monmouthshire councillor Peter Clarke.
“If we get an announcement from the Welsh Government next week that they are not going ahead with the relief road that money becomes surplus I presume.”
But chief finance officer, Darren Garwood-Pask, said it would be “remiss” not to include the money, which is just one third of the estimated £3.5m per year it will cost to police protests.
Cllr Colin Mann, from Caerphilly County Borough Council, said the panel had to consider the impact of the proposed precept rise on residents.
“I feel like a tightrope walker,” he said.
“We all want good services but we’ve got to consider the impact on the council taxpayer.”
And Peter Nuttall, a co-opted member of the panel, said the public perception is residents are paying more but getting less in return.
“The response of the police seen by the public is not good,” he said.
Mr Cuthbert said the rise is the lowest in Wales and would mean vital work can continue, such as tackling rising cases of domestic abuse and modern slavery operations.
Amid continued UK government austerity, the PCC said that unless there are significant changes council tax payers would be paying for more than half of the policing budget by 2022/23.
“Some police forces are there already,” he added.
“We are not, but we are rapidly getting in that direction.”
Cllr John Guy, from Newport, who proposed accepting the precept rise, said the decision was “very difficult and had taken “a lot of sweat and tears.”
However the panel called for a review of the need for £1m to police M4 protests, and the PCC said the request would be considered.
In a statement released after the decision was made, Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert said: “I acknowledge that any increase in expenditure could be challenging for some of our residents; however, this is the right decision to ensure the safety of our communities.
“This decision follows not just a robust financial case, but also a nine week public engagement exercise, ensuring that everyone in Gwent had an opportunity to express their opinions.
“The amount of respondents endorsing an increase demonstrates to me that the public of Gwent understand the increased demand being placed on their police service, a demand which is only intensified by continued cuts from UK Government.”