A public survey has been launched to ask local residents how much they are prepared to contribute towards policing for the force area, through their council tax in the upcoming year.
Police and Crime Commissioners have a responsibility for setting both their force budget and the amount of council tax that goes towards policing for their area, called the policing precept.
Durham Police and Crime Commissioner, Joy Allen, has called for residents to give their views on the amount they would be willing to pay for improvements and the continuation of the policing service, as part of their council tax. This will help her inform her decisions around the budget and the amount of council tax people pay towards policing.
Commissioner Allen said “Cost of living increases have put a pressure on everyone, including the running of our police force. I am aware of how important it is that the public receive the policing service that they deserve. In order to prevent cuts across the force we would require a slight increase in available funds to even maintain the service that we currently have.
“We need to hear from residents to understand what they feel is reasonable and what they would be willing to provide to ensure that our communities are supported and remain safe thanks to our police force.”
The amount that a police force receives through the precept differs depending on the numbers of houses in each council tax band across that area. Due to the majority of homes across County Durham and Darlington falling within council tax bands A and B, the area receives a much smaller funding opportunity compared to other police forces across the country, which have greater numbers of higher tax banded properties.
You can give your views via the survey at:
https://online1.snapsurveys.com/hn9ey0
or email your questions to:
General.EnquiriesPCC@durham-pcc.gov.uk
If you are unable to complete the survey online you can collect one of our surveys from Newton Aycliffe library, the survey closes at 4pm on 6th January 2023.