Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Kevin Hurley, has launched his consultation on whether residents are willing to pay more towards policing through their council tax.
As part of his responsibility for setting the budget for Surrey Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner consults residents on the amount they would be prepared to pay towards policing through their council tax. This year he is asking whether residents would be willing to pay 1.99% more per year – around £4.30 for a Band D property – to support Surrey Police.
The results will inform the PCC’s decision for 2016/17.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Kevin Hurley, said:
“Although the Chancellor has protected policing in cash terms, there will be no increases in our government grant to account for inflation. As a result, we will still have to make savings in the years to come.
“Additionally, emerging crimes such as child sexual exploitation, domestic abuse and cybercrime mean that more of our resources need to be used in these very serious areas, leading to fewer officers out on the beat.
“We live in a beautiful and safe county, and I want to do my best to keep it that way. This small increase would allow Surrey Police to protect 45 members of staff from redundancy, helping us to answer the phones faster, and ensure that the police are always there when you need them.
“I encourage the Surrey public to have their say.”
The consultation is open for the next two weeks, and can be accessed here: https://www.surrey-pcc.gov.uk/counciltax/