North Wales Police precept to be raised by 5.14% meaning near £15 extra cost for council tax payers

North Wales’ police and crime commissioner is asking council tax payers to stump up an extra 5.14% on the police precept from April. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Last year’s increase was 4.89% and the request for extra funds this year is partly due to a £750,000 investment in an upgraded communication system being rolled out across the UK, the Emergency Service Network (ESN). ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The annual cost of administering the ESN from 2023-24 will be a little over £1.3m and the system will provide a one stop IT solution for officers on the beat, which will replace the Airwave system. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

It is designed to cut down on form filling and can be loaded onto laptops and mobile phones – even allowing officers to check fingerprints. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The panel had resolved in December to contact the Home Office “regarding the costings and technology relating to the ESN programme”. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Last year Capita secured a five-year contract worth £788,000 to deliver IT systems to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, so it could move to the ESN system. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Committee member Cllr Dana Davies said it was important  to point out the increase was the same as last year but with inflation and contribution to the ESN on top. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The total precept increase is £14.94 per year and means the policing portion of council tax rises to £305.55 per household from April, contributing £89.7m (51.73%) to the PCC’s overall budget of £173.4m. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

“Operation Uplift”, a central government plan to increase numbers of officer across England and Wales, will see a further 62 officer taken on in 2021-22 and another 140 over the life of the scheme. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

It also emerged that because of reduced funding and other pressures the force’s budget had been slashed by more than £35m over the past decade. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

There would be no pay rise for officers in the coming year but the medium term plan for the following years assumed a 2.5% rise. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

The plan also set assumed police precept rises of £12 per year on council tax bills for the following four years after 2021-22 – between 3.93-3.51%. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter (more here). ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

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