Council tax precept increase will fund 50 extra police officers in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

A proposed council tax precept increase has been approved in order to fund 50 extra police officers in Hampshire.

The increase was approved by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel (PCP) on Friday, January 27, and it will result in an increase to council tax of £15 per year for a Band D property, equating to 29p per week.

The 6.34 per cent increase will raise an additional £12.29m for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary in 2023/24.

Deputy chairman of Hampshire's Police and Crime Panel David Stewart said: “Given the financial impact of increasing the precept on Hampshire communities, it was not an easy decision to support this proposed increase, and our vote was not unanimous.

“Members questioned the affordability of the increase for residents, and we robustly challenged the need for the extra resources.

“However, following this discussion, overall the panel were satisfied that the changes proposed represent good value for taxpayers.”

The county’s police and crime commissioner Donna Jones asked for the increase to support inflation pressures, help keep communities safer and make police more visible in the county.

Ms Jones’ proposal to increase police visibility in Hampshire came after an extensive public consultation found that a majority of the 8,400 responders had ‘improving police visibilty’ as their top priority.

Ms Jones said: “This budget will allow for continued investment in your police force and it will ensure Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is one of the country’s best performing forces.

“As your commissioner, I will do everything I can to improve police visibility.”