Acting Commissioner announces increase in policing part of council tax in line with Government expectation

PEOPLE living in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can expect to pay an extra 83p per month towards police funding in their 2020/21 council tax bills (based on a Band D property), following a decision made by the county’s Police and Crime Panel today (Thursday 6th February).

The decision follows Acting Police and Crime Commissioner, (PCC), Ray Bisby’s proposal to increase the policing part of council tax (known as the police precept) by £10 per year (for Band D homeowners).

Mr Bisby says:

“The past year has brought many challenges however I am sure you will agree that we have a fantastic police force in Cambridgeshire working hard to tackle the issues we all care about.

As Acting PCC, it’s my duty to set the amount people pay towards policing in their council tax. In doing so, I need to understand the financial and operational challenges of the Constabulary as well as the views of the public about supporting police funding.”

In order to inform his proposal, the Commissioner held a public survey which ran from 8th until 27th January.
Mr Bisby continues, “In my survey I stressed that in setting the proposed precept, I would follow government guidance once it was published. The government funding settlement, which was delayed due to the December General Election, included an expectation that PCCs would increase local precepts by £10.

“The central funding for Cambridgeshire is dependent on an additional 62 officers being recruited by March 2021, as part of the government’s 20,000 new officer programme.

“Additionally, with our county’s population set to rise by 20% by 2031, I need to ensure the Chief Constable has the resources he needs to police the county, not just this year but in the years ahead.”

Over 1,197 people responded to the survey online with the majority strongly agreeing that officers need to have the equipment, training and staff support behind them (for example training officers and call handlers) to keep people safe.

Mr Bisby added:

“I would like to thank all those who took the time to respond to my survey and to speak to me in the various locations I visited over the last 4 weeks.

“The government funding settlement together with the precept increase is a great opportunity for me to ensure the Constabulary is properly equipped to keep our growing communities safe.”