Thames Valley Police may increase council tax to fund 2023/24 crime budget

The Government has allowed police and crime commissioners to increase council tax by up to £15 (for a Band D property) to make additional investments in policing.

The Home Office has also announced an additional £5.1m Government grant – an increase of 1.8 per cent – for Thames Valley Police.

For the average household, this would mean that for less than 29p a week, more than £14m could be invested in frontline policing. A final decision on whether to raise council tax will be made at the end of January.

Thames Valley Police police and crime commissioner Matthew Barber said: "As your police and crime commissioner, I am aware of the ongoing cost pressures that many households are facing and I want to ensure that any rise in the policing element of council tax will deliver value for money.

"Despite funding received through central government, policing isn't unaffected by increasing cost pressures and faces a difficult time to fund vital services.

"This year's policing budget is set against a demanding economic environment with rising inflation, utilities, pay and fuel costs.

"I want to see increased investment in community policing and in improving communication between the public and the police.

"Final decisions on council tax and the policing budget will be made at the end of January.

"By contributing towards my ongoing survey, you can help shape how Thames Valley Police continues to improve and tackle crime across our communities."

An increase of 83p per month in council tax last year, which was below inflation, helped enable the following developments:

• The development of a specialist rape and sexual offences team.
• A dedicated team to fast track cases, reducing delays for victims and releasing officers back to the frontline.
• Improvements in forensics to speed up investigations and bring more criminals to justice.
• The continued recruitment of more officers, beyond the Home Office-funded recruitment programme.
• Continuation of the Rural Crime Task Force and the introduction of a Drugs Task Force.
• Improving essential technological infrastructure and systems to better support service delivery.

Residents are invited to complete an online survey at https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90503915/OPCC-public-consultation to determine what the policing budget should focus on in 2023/24.

The deadline to complete the survey is noon on Friday, January 13, 2023.