Time running out for residents to have their say on policing precept

There are just two weeks left for residents in Wiltshire and Swindon to share their views on whether they would be prepared to pay more to continue the improvements already being made by the force. 

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson’s Use Your Voice: Budget and Precept survey launched at the start of the month, and he is urging people to make their views known – especially those in Swindon where responses have been lower. 

Mr. Wilkinson said last week that he feels he could be left with no choice but to ask for the maximum precept increase which will see a Band D property pay an additional £1.16 a month (£14 per year), due to the government settlement leaving funding gap of £11M with no precept increase, and a gap of £6.8M with the maximum precept increase of 5.2% 

He said: “With just two weeks left to complete my Use Your Voice survey I’m asking people to think about how the increase will further help the Force to improve. In past years we have seen more responses at this stage of the consultation, so please do fill out the survey if you haven’t already. 

“I also want to ensure representation from all demographics across the county, which is why I’d specifically like to ask residents of Swindon to make sure they are submitting their views. 

“Although it looks likely that I will need to ask for the maximum increase as I have previously discussed, it’s important for me to understand which parts of policing are a priority for residents, where any problem areas may lie and gauge general public confidence levels – so please do take ten minutes out of your day to help inform my next steps.” 

The Use Your Voice Survey will be live until the end of January. You can fill it in here: Use Your Voice: Police budget and precept consultation 

You can also find out more about the policing budget and Mid Term Financial Strategy here.