Proposed Isle Of Wight Police Precept Increase Wins Backing From Scrutiny Body

A proposed Hampshire and Isle of Wight police precept increase, representing £15 extra per year for Band D council taxpayers, has been endorsed by a scrutiny body.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Panel this month voted for a recommendation to support setting the charge 5.45 per cent higher for the region, despite one member flagging a “cost of living crisis at the moment”.

Conservative police and crime commissioner Donna Jones has proposed a precept increase alongside investment plans for £9.9m in new initiatives, including 36 additional officers.

She told the panel:

“If you look at the £15 increase that I am asking for, 62 per cent of our population will not pay that. They will pay a lesser amount because they are in bands A, B or C.

“A Band D property paying £15 extra is 36 extra pence a week – 36p a week for 36 extra officers which I hope you will agree is good value.”

Cllr Joanne Burton, a Conservative on Fareham Borough Council, said:

“Some good work has happened Donna, under your watch, bringing the bobbies on the beat, increasing numbers, improving the 101 service and that’s obviously come at the price of increasing the precept.”

Liberal Democrat Portsmouth city councillor Kimberly Barrett said:

“We know that we’re in a cost-of-living crisis at the moment and as Donna said, pretty much austerity at the moment.

"We know the pressures that our residents have and are facing.

“But at the same time, as Joanne said, we can see what we lose if we don’t go ahead with this, so I think it’s really important that we support this going forward.

“From my side of things in Portsmouth, I have seen more police out on the beat which I’m really pleased with.”

Cllr Christine Guinness, a Labour Rushmoor Borough Council member, said:

“Here at Rushmoor, we’re really lacking police patrolling the streets.

"I appreciate you do need the money to recruit.

“We have one police community support officer to cover the whole of Farnborough, and you can understand why my residents are in the position of saying, well what are we paying for?”