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It is my job as Police and Crime Commissioner to ensure Wiltshire Police has the necessary resources to fight and prevent crime.
 
As with your finances during this time, your Force is facing increased financial pressures too.
 
With an indication of a 1% increase in central funding from Government for 2023/24, Wiltshire Police faces making £5.5m worth of savings.
 
This is at a time when we need to invest in the policing service to ensure necessary changes and improvements are made to keep the county safe – and to bring the Force out of the HMIC Engage process (special measures).
Yesterday afternoon (12 Dec), the Government increased the cap on police precept, without local referendum, so that PCCs can now potentially increase by up £15 a year for a Band D household.

Originally, I could only increase the precept by 4.1% which meant an average Band D household would pay an extra £10 a year, 83p a month or £251.47 annually.
Today’s announcement means I could now increase the average Band D police precept by up to 6.2% - an extra £1.25 a month, £15 per year, or £256.47 annually.
The implications on finances if an average £15 precept increase per Band D household is taken are now being worked on by my team and I will let you know the detail as soon as I am able.
 
During the last year, our communities have reinforced the need for more frontline police officers – and I agree with them. Using your support for a precept increase, we will have additional police officers to help provide more visible policing and quality investiagtions.
 
Working with the Chief Constable, and on his operational advice, we will deliver 40 additional police officers for our neighbourhood and volume crime teams as a result of the annual review of the current workforce mix. This will mean Wiltshire Police will better meet the needs of our communities. 
 
These officers will bolster Wiltshire Police’s work in the community, and crime investigation, and are in addition to the Uplift officers who are also coming through the recruitment and training pipeline into our communities, as well as specialist roles and the rural crime team.
 
I know in normal times an increase in contributions will be felt by our communities but in the current economic situation I realise this increase will be felt more keenly than ever before but I am asking for your support for the increase.
 
The decision to ask for this support has been a difficult one – and one that I would not make if there was an alternative.
 
I encourage you to fill out the survey - it is only by using your voice that we can truly understand the views of local people.
 
The precept survey can be found on my website and is being advertised across all our digital channels. It is short, and should only take a few moments to fill in.
 
Thank you.

 
Philip Wilkinson
Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner
When answering the following questions please consider the three options:

Option 1 – an increase in police precept of £10 per average Band D household:

I am proposing a 4.1% increase. This equates to 83p a month more for a Band D property (equal to £10 a year). This presents us with the scenario where efficiencies and savings of £3.1m have to be found but is more manageable while also investing in extra police officers.

Option 2 – no increase in police precept:

This would be equivalent to cutting the police budget. Wiltshire Police would have to find £5.5m savings at a time when investment is needed to ensure necessary changes and improvements to the police service the county’s residents receive.

Option 3 - an increase in police precept of up to £15 per average Band D household:

Use the increase in PCC precept cap, announced by Government on the 12 Dec, to add up to  £15 on an average Band D household. This would mean an average household would pay £1.25 a month extra for their policing service. The implications of this on the budget for Wiltshire Police is being worked upon and will be communicated in due course.

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* 1. Would you like to see more investment to increase policing in your community?

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* 2. Would you like to see Wiltshire Police receive more funding to continue investment in getting crime down, preventing crime, protecting the vulnerable and supporting victims across our county?

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* 3. Would you be prepared to invest more in policing to help improve the service provided?

The police precept is collected as part of your council tax. In Wiltshire a Band D household currently pays £241.27p for Wiltshire Police. Lower bands pay less, higher bands pay more. A Band D increase of 83p a month is an increase of £10 a year.


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  Current Police Precept 2022/23 (annual payment) Total proposed Police Precept 2023/24 – with 4.1% increase - £10 average (annual payment) Yearly payment/ monthly payment for £10 average increase in precept Total proposed Police Precept 2023/24 – with 6.2% increase - £15 average (annual payment) Yearly payment/ monthly payment for £15 average increase in precept
Band A £160.85 £167.51 £6.66 a year

55p a month		 £170.85 £10 a year

83p a month
Band B £187.65 £195.43 £7.78 a year

65p a month		 £199.32 £11.67 a year

97p a month
Band C £214.27 £223.35 £9.08 a year

76p a month		 £227.80 £13.53 a year

£1.12 a month
Band D £241.27 £251.27 £10 a year

83p a month		 £256.27 £15 a year

£1.25 a month
Band E £294.89 £307.11 £12.22

£1.02 a month		 £313.22 £18.33 a year

£1.53 a month
Band F £348.50 £362.95 £14.45 a year

£1.20 a month		 £370.17 £21.67 a year

£1.80 a month

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* 4. Would you support an 83p per month increase (average Band D household) to invest in Wiltshire’s policing?

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* 5. Would you support a £1.25 per month increase (average Band D household) to invest in Wiltshire's policing?

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* 6. Of the 14 areas listed below, which would you like to see more investment in? Please rank them in order of importance with number one being the most important and 14 being the least important.

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* 7. Which of the current Making Wiltshire Safer: Police and Crime Plan 2022-25 is most important to you?

Rank in order of importance, 1 = most important 4 = least important.

0 of 13 answered
 

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