A FURTHER £15 a year will be put on Warwickshire residents’ Council Tax bills after Warwickshire’s Police and Crime Panel approved an £185million funding plan by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Seccombe.
Warwickshire Police’s share of the tax will go up by 4.94 per cent – the maximum permitted by law – from April, equivalent to around £15 extra for an average Band D property.
The PCC’s office said the budget would fund improved response times, protect neighbourhood policing, strengthen investigations, improve call-handling, and deliver over £2million in efficiency savings.
Mr Seccombe said not taking the maximum rise would have obliged the force to make additional savings worth millions.
He said: “The National Audit Office confirms that Warwickshire is the most disadvantaged force in the country in terms of grant funding per head.
“Not taking the maximum rise would have risked a clear reduction in service for communities, at a time when we know they want to see improvements in response times, visibility of officers and the quality of investigations.
“It’s a decision that I take reluctantly, but the funding it unlocks does mean that the improvements made by Warwickshire Police in recent years can be sustained.”
