The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Gwent has launched a public consultation asking residents how much they are willing to pay for policing.
In a public survey, Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert is asking residents if they want a 2%, 3.99% or 5% increase in the police precept – the portion of the council tax bill that pays for policing.
Mr Cuthbert’s office has said that since the start of the UK Government’s current austerity programme in 2010/11, Gwent Police has delivered £42.1 million of efficiency savings. Between 2012 and 2015, officer numbers in Gwent have been reduced by 220 and staff numbers by 151.
However despite the savings, the force is still looking at a funding gap of around £12m by 2021/22.
The average Band D household in the Gwent area currently pays £4.58 per week towards policing and current financial plans by the PCC assumes a 3.99% yearly increase to the police precept. This equates to an extra 17p a week.
Such an increase would enable Mr Cuthbert to reinvest £6m into policing.
He said: “We want to provide a quality and sustainable police service within our tight resources and having consulted extensively over the last year, I am confident that the majority of Gwent residents I have spoken to have accepted the need for an increase in the precept.
“I understand that nobody wants to pay more, whether it’s council tax or the police precept, I understand that absolutely. However, we are between a rock and a hard place and if the UK Government continues its programme of austerity and continues to reduce the central grant to us then we have little choice other than to turn to the local population for that input to ensure Gwent Police has the necessary funds to keep people safe.
“However, any increase in money raised locally will not be done without explanation or consultation and this why I have launched the Have Your Say survey today.”
The closing date for the survey, which can be found at bitly.com/HYSPrecept17-18 is 4pm on Friday, January 20, 2017.
Other formats of the survey are available on request from the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office from January 3, 2017, by emailing Commissioner@gwent.pnn.police.uk.
Earlier this year, Mr Cuthbert warned that half of his force’s budget will have to be raised through local taxation by 2021, if current UK Government spending cuts continued.
I fully understand that government means to reduce the central grant to the police and that the Commissioner would like to raise more locally but at the end of the day it makes no difference. Either we pay the government more tax or we pay the Commisioner more tax, either way we, the hard pressed workers, lose out. Nothing changes, it seems. Meanwhile the politicians ensure that they continue to be richly rewarded in salaries, expenses and pensions.
How about scrapping this pointless waste of money position and the other minions, buddies, hangers on and so called assistants to the crime commissioner, that would save the council tax payers a great deal of money, but that’s not going to happen, yet again taxes will rise to pay for their mismanagement, as is always the Labour way. And the fools can’t even put the correct link to the survey.
tax them and tax them again Jeff , typical solution and will solve nothing, its all about how resources are deployed . there is still plenty of waste in the system that needs sorting. How are those who pay Council tax going to afford Jeff’s rise ? It’s the hard working few who once again pay the price .