Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone is asking for an increase of £15 a year in the police precept, the part of the council tax that goes towards funding the county’s police.
Commissioners across the country can raise the policing precept by up to £15 a year. Danielle said that this increase is needed to ensure services are protected at the current level and to meet the rising costs of policing a growing county.
The increase means that a Band D household would pay £335.04 a year towards policing in 2026/27 – an increase of 4.69% or 29p a week.
Danielle said: “I understand the financial pressure that every household is under. I have to ask for this increase in the policing precept so that police officer and PCSO numbers can be maintained and the Force can deliver on people’s priorities.
“People want to feel confident that police will be there when they need them. I know that the public want police to be fully engaged with the communities they serve and tackling the issues that matter to them.
“In return, I will hold the Chief Constable to account for improving standards and will ensure that the views of Northamptonshire residents help to shape policing in this county.”
Even with an increase in the policing precept of 4.69%, the Chief Constable will need to make savings of more than £4 million to balance the budget next year. Danielle warned that the national funding formula on which the Force’s core grant is based is outdated and needs to change or risk the funding gap growing even greater in the future.
Danielle said: “The central government grant is based on an outdated formula that hasn’t been updated for more than 10 years. It doesn’t take into account our growing population, which means rising demand and crime that is increasingly complex.
“It’s not sustainable and it’s not fair that council taxpayers are expected to make up the difference.”
Around 56% of Northamptonshire Police’s annual funding of £202.7 million comes from central government while 44% is raised locally through the council tax.
The budget also funds services delivered by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and others that support police enforcement to make communities safer such as crime prevention, early intervention with families and young people and victim and witness services.
Together, Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue receive around 18% of the council tax paid by a Band D household in Northamptonshire.
The Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel will consider the Policing precept proposals on Wednesday 4 February.
You can find out more about the work of the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner by clicking here.
