Conservative bid to cut policing fails

8.35.00am GMT Fri 12th Feb 2010

Wiltshire Police Authority met on Thursday February 11th to set the Police precept for 2010-11. The recommendation was for a 3.4% increase, which is an extra £5.19 a year for the Council tax Band D level.

The Government grant element of the budget has increased by 2.4%. Within this budget the Police are committed to £1.6 million savings, including a reduction of about 37 police posts overall. The only item of non-essential growth would be 10 additional PCSOs across the County, dependent on local councils match-funding the costs.

The Police Authority eventually agreed the 3.4% increase. The cost to a Band D taxpayer will be £157.77, an increase of £5.19 a year.

Liberal Democrat representatives on the Authority had proposed an increase of 3.6%, on the grounds that an extra 20p a year would fund two extra police constables, preferably one in Chippenham and one in Swindon. This was supported by all the independent members on the Authority. Only 4 Tory Councillors voted against, one for.

Four of the five Tories present then proposed a 2.9% increase, a cut of over £200,000 a year on the budget, but saving only about 75p a year per Band D household. They voted three times against 3.4 and 3.6% and were isolated. Eventually they blinked and one of them voted for 3.4%, which was enough. (The precept has to be agreed by a majority of the whole Authority and also of the Councillor members).

So the Conservatives ended up voting against more police on the street, for a cut in policing - and losing.

Comment - "Nobody wants to see council tax going up, but an inadequate police presence is an option few people would support. By all means look for efficiency savings but the bottom line is that there must be enough police officers and PCSOs to do the job of reducing the crime rates and reassuring the public."