Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone is asking for an increase of £14 a year – 27 pence a week – in the police precept, the part of the council tax that goes towards funding the county’s police.
The 4.6% increase means that an average, Band D household would pay £320.04 a year towards policing in 2025/26. Danielle said that the increase will support the maintenance of police officer and PCSO numbers and focus on the delivering on priorities for public safety in the county – visible and accessible policing, higher standards of service and partnership working to tackle neighbourhood problems.
Danielle said: “People have told me clearly that they want to feel safer, that they want a police service that engages with them, listens to the issues that matter most to them and takes action to prevent and investigate crime.
“This budget will mean that the Chief Constable can make those improvements and we can build stronger partnerships with other agencies so that we are putting prevention at the top of the agenda and working together to create safer neighbourhoods.
“I will also continue to invest, through my Office, in projects that support families and young people, in projects that prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and in providing the right support for victims and witnesses of crime.”
The budget also includes £1million for the Chief Constable to invest in urgent priorities to improve policing.
In 2025/26, this will include recruiting 20 new police staff investigators to improve the quality of service to the public with dedicated investigative support to police officers. Investments will also be made in crime prevention and youth engagement specialists, in building capacity in the vetting of police officers and staff and in more resources to support police officer health and wellbeing.
Danielle said: “Every penny must be spent to make communities safer. Northamptonshire Police is involved in some great collaboration work and has great shared professional functions with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue. I will be challenging the chief officers to see how they can deliver more sustainability, social value, and value for money.”
Local taxpayers in Northamptonshire pick up more of the bill for policing than in other parts of the country – 44% of the total policing budget comes from the local council tax and 56% from Government grants.
Danielle said: “Funding for policing in this county has not kept pace with the population increase, and our funding is allocated on a formula that has not been updated for more than 10 years – it doesn’t reflect current demand and the needs of Northamptonshire. That’s not fair.
“I will continue to work with my colleagues towards a fairer funding settlement for the residents of this county.”
Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel will consider the Policing precept proposals on Wednesday 5 February.
The total policing budget for 2025/26 is £194.2 million.
