PCC at a panel meeting seated with the Chief Constable and the Chief Executive and Chief Finance Officer

27 January 2023

PCC confirms £15* a year policing precept increase for 2023/24

Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore has today (January 27) confirmed the policing element of the council tax will increase by 29p* a week (*based on a Band D property) for the next financial year.

At its meeting this morning (Friday 27 January), Suffolk’s Police and Crime Panel, the scrutiny body for PCC, supported the PCC’s proposal to increase the precept by 6%, which equates to £15 a year for a Band D property. The panel voted 11 for and 2 against the PCC’s proposal.

Tim Passmore said, “As your Police and Crime Commissioner, setting the budget is one of my most important responsibilities. I must ensure that the Constabulary has the resources needed to provide an efficient and effective service, whilst ensuring that I use Suffolk taxpayers’ money for the maximum benefit.

“Sadly, as has been the case for several years now, our funding from Government is just not enough. Suffolk is one of the lowest-funded forces in the country and faces significant challenges so I felt I had no choice but to propose the increase. The additional funding will increase the policing budget by £3.9m and give the Constabulary the resources it needs to keep pace with the increased demands placed upon it.”

Mr Passmore added, “In addition to the seven extra officers and 17 staff to be funded by this precept, Suffolk Constabulary’s establishment has increased by 228 police officers since 2020. This will mean we will have over 1400 officers in Suffolk by the end of March 2023, many more than there has ever been since I was first elected. This is good news for Suffolk because it will clearly help improve policing visibility countywide.”

An on-line survey held earlier this month supported the PCC’s proposal to raise the precept; of the 2,116 respondents, 56% supported the proposal.

Throughout the next financial year the PCC will monitor the impact that this additional precept investment has had. Quarterly updates on this progress will be published on the PCC website.

• Late last year the Policing Minister gave PCCs the ability to raise the policing element of the precept by up to £15 per annum for a Band D property for the next financial year.