Dorset's Police and Crime Commissioner apologises for council tax rise
David Sidwick says without it, 60 front-line staff will be lost
Dorset's police and crime commissioner has apologised for the maximum increase possible in next year’s Dorset police budget.
It will add an extra £10 a year for Band D homes from April.
Commissioner David Sidwick said that the alternative, ‘no nothing’, scenario would have resulted in the loss of more than 60 front-line staff.
He told a budget meeting on Thursday that even with the increase the police would still have to make significant savings in the coming year – but said he remained committed to a tougher attitude to crime and anti-social behaviour.
“We are going to become crime fighters again,” he told the Thursday police and crime panel meeting which unanimously approved the police council tax share of the budget amounting to just short of £78million.
For Band D homes it will mean paying £265.58p a year for the police – 83p a week. For band A homes it will add £6.67 and £20 a year for band H properties.
The amount equates to an increase in the police share of the council tax of just under 4%.
Police and crime commissioner, David Sidwick, claims the extra amount is overwhelmingly supported by most people – evidenced by an online consultation in December.
During the budget meeting councillors were reassured that the cost of a new hq building at Winfrith would not add to this year’s precept.
Responding to a question about other police property Mr Sidwick said that savings which could be taken had already, largely, been achieved although he said that current police stations at Christchurch and Wimborne were being looked at for disposal with new facilities, better suited to both towns, likely to replace them.
He said that his vision for the year ahead was to continue stepping up proactive policing, making Dorset a “hostile environment” for criminals, especially for more serious offences and for organised crime groups. He said he would also re-focus on anti-social behaviour, which he said had been neglected, and on crimes of violence against women and girls. He also promised to step up an election commitment to tackle rural crime.
The increase will give the force just short of £164m for 2023/24 – just over half of the core budget coming from the Government, the rest from local council tax.
Budget assumptions include a predicted 2.5% pay award for staff. With an expected 67 additional officers due to be recruited pay pressures are expected to increase by just over £6m in the year ahead. If the pay award is higher further budget savings may be needed, unless the Government offers to meet some of the costs.
Despite the increases the force is still expecting a budget gap of £2.6m but is planning to make identified savings of £1.9m during the year, hoping to find the remaining £500,000 shortfall as the year progresses.