Police and Crime Panel supports proposed 2025/26 precept
Members of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel have supported the Commissioner’s proposed precept increase of 8.6%.
During the Panel’s first meeting in 2025, held on Friday January 24, members discussed the precept and scrutinised Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn’s budget plans for the coming year.
The panel is made up of members nominated by the four councils, in the force area, plus two independent members and has the power to approve or veto the proposed police precept
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Local policing is funded by a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.
The precept accounts for approximately 50% of the total revenue available to the Commissioner. Combined with Home Office and Welsh Government funding this will provide the police budget for 2025/26.
Funding from the Home Office is dependent, at least in part, on maintaining a specific number of police officers. Having scrutinised the current financial position of Dyfed Powys Police, the Police and Crime Panel concluded that reducing the number of officers to make savings was not a realistic option.
There have been significant reductions in the grant settlement received from the Home Office over the last decade and Dyfed-Powys Police receives the lowest amount of Home Office grant per head of population of all the Welsh force areas. The current precept level in Dyfed-Powys remains the lowest in Wales.
The Panel also noted that amongst the factors that are likely to have a significant impact upon the Commissioner’s budget is the anticipated pay increase for police officers, in the region of 2.6% to 2.8%, that is likely to be approved in 2025-2026 and other inflationary costs pressures, caused by global events, which are beyond the control of the force.
Pay for police officers is set nationally and the force has no control over it.
In scrutinising the Police and Crime Commissioner’s budget plans for the coming year, the Panel noted several factors that represents value for money from the precept, which include maintaining the historically high levels of warranted officers employed by the force; overall public satisfaction with the Dyfed Powys Police is high and that overall crime levels are low. The investment in call handling at the force command centre, following the 2024 precept, has also helped deliver a significant improvement in performance.
Following the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel meeting, the Chair of the Panel, Professor Ian Roffe, said: “We, as a Police and Crime Panel have meticulously scrutinised the Commissioner’s Budget for 2025/26, as ensuring value for money for the residents of Carmarthenshire, Powys, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire is crucial given the financial pressures upon households and communities across our force area. Whilst acknowledging the current economic climate, we support the proposed 8.6%. increase in the Police Commissioner’s precept in order for Dyfed-Powys Police to continue to serve and protect our communities in an efficient and effective manner.”
Visit www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.wales for more information about the Panel, its membership, forthcoming meeting dates, agendas and webcasting links, as well as submitting questions for the Panel to put to the Commissioner.