Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg is seeking views from members of the community as part of his annual public consultation on the police budget. In order to help to support the budget in the face of further cuts, Mr Hogg intends to apply an increase of 1.98% to the amount of Council Tax which goes to the police service. This equates to just £3.16 over the year, or 6p a week for a house in Band D.
Mr Hogg said: “In this continued period of austerity, all police forces across the country are facing similar challenges. I am committed to ensuring that the police have the resources they need to continue to provide an excellent service to the public.
“Durham Constabulary has carried out excellent work to increase value for money and improve its service within constricting budgets, and it is also looking at ways to increase its own generation of income. But I must also review the amount residents contribute towards our police force.
“The increase I am proposing would raise funding equivalent to keeping at least 10 police officers on our streets. In my view, that is excellent value for money.”
The public consultation is open until Monday 26th January. Residents can provide their views in a number of ways, including through the Ron Hogg’s website at: www.durham-pcc.gov.uk, by Facebook or Twitter (search for Durham PCC), or by telephone on: 03000 264631.