Police share of council tax may rise by £14 a year

PCC Philip Seccombe said he wanted to hear residents' views in an online survey

The share of council tax Warwickshire Police receives could rise by £14 a year for the average household to maintain current service levels, the police and crime commissioner (PCC) has said.

Philip Seccombe said the government settlement for Warwickshire Police next year indicated a potential funding increase of 5.9%, or £8.3m.

However, he said it was below the national average and £3.2m of the sum depended on an increase in the police share of council tax.

The government said overall funding for policing in England and Wales was seeing a real terms funding increase of 3% and a cash increase of 5.5%.

Seccombe, the Conservative PCC, said rising costs including inflation, officer pay, overtime and national insurance, meant the cost of delivering policing was expected to increase significantly.

He said current estimates suggested more than £10m extra would be required next year.

Meeting that gap required an increase in the police precept – part of the council tax which goes towards the police – and efficiency savings, he said.

He said Warwickshire's precept needed to go up by £14 a year or 27p a week for an average Band D household.

'Great strides'

The PCC said he wanted to hear residents' views in an online survey before he presented his budget in February.

He said: "Any decision to set the police precept below £14 per year would have significant consequences.

"It would force the chief constable and I to make difficult decisions, potentially impacting our ability to meet the county's policing needs."

He said Warwickshire Police had made great strides recently, adding: "I want to ensure we continue building on this progress."

Earlier this month, Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: "Overall funding for the policing system in England and Wales, including to police forces and wider system funding, will be up to £19.5bn."

She said this was "an increase of up to £1bn when compared to the 2024-25 funding settlement, representing a real terms funding increase of 3% and a cash increase of 5.5%".