Durham Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has expressed her disappointment at the level of government grant to be received to provide policing services in 2023.
She said: “The government is not giving the Chief Constable or myself any additional money to offset the impact of inflation. The only extra money we are getting is if I increase the precept element of people’s council tax bills, by £15. Even with this increase, it will not go far enough to compensate the hike in energy prices and the rising costs of other goods and services we use as well as the pressure to maintain and support the extra officers recruited through the Uplift programme.
“On top of hitting residents at a time of severe financial strain, the approach also serves to deepen the inequality from force to force, with those already better funded netting more help than their counterparts. To put into context, a high proportion of households in the force area fall into Council Tax Band A category which means that a 1% rise in precept does not have the same impact as our neighbouring force in North Yorkshire or in Surrey (which raises the highest percentage of total funding through the precept).
“The necessity of being able to raise the local precept at a consistent rate across the country should be a major factor in the overall distribution of central funding but the reality is we continue to work within the constraints of a flawed and outdated system.
“This is why I have continued to push at the highest level the need for a fairer formula and an adequate overall level of grant to help areas such as ours with lower population growth but deep-rooted social-economic problems to address.
“I am disappointed that the government has failed to listen and expects us to reduce crime without recognising the cost pressures the service faces. Nor is it giving me as PCC any additional money to fund the replacement of police vehicles, technology or improve police buildings.
“As Commissioners, we are left with a daunting choice – raise the Council Tax police precept or face further cuts to policing. By 2023, we will still be short of 153 officers on the ground compared to 2010 while some forces are celebrating record numbers of frontline officers.
“I will be writing to the Home Secretary to outline my concerns. Despite this setback in funding, myself and the Chief Constable remain committed to continuing to provide high levels of service to the public of Durham and Darlington.
“We have some of the best outcome rates across most types of crime in the country and I am determined to keep it that way. We will continue to work with our partners and the public to make Durham and Darlington a continued safe place to live and work.”
