Residents to have their say on police funding

Residents have the opportunity to give their views on the police budget for 2016-17, thanks to a public consultation launched this week.

Between 11th and 27th January, members of the public can have their say in the annual consultation, either online or at a number of public events across County Durham and Darlington.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington, Ron Hogg, proposes an increase of 1.98% to the amount of Council Tax which goes to the police service. This increase equates to just £3.22 over the year, or 6p a week for the average house in Band D.

Hogg will be holding a series of public meetings in the County – with one being held at the Oakleaf Sports Complex on Tuesday 26th January (from 5.30pm).

“As PCC I am responsible for setting the police budget,” said Hogg.

“In the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government indicated that it expects PCCs to increase the precept by up to 2 per cent when setting their budget for 2016-17.

“They also stated, as a result, the overall national policing budget will be protected in line with inflation. However the amount of funding coming to local policing from Government is still reducing year on year.

“The total provisional grant received by Durham in 2016-17 will be £457,127 less than in 2015-16. The small increase I am proposing will raise approximately £520,000 and help to keep the equivalent of eleven Police Officers on the street.

“I am committed to ensuring that the police have the resources they need to continue to provide an excellent service to the public.

“The survey is short and will only take a minute or two to complete. I encourage residents to get involved and let me know their views.”

The survey and details of the public events are available at www.durham-pcc.gov.uk, and are available on Facebook or Twitter (search for Durham PCC). You can also give your views by telephone, at: 03000 264631.