Help Save PCSOs

The policing precept is the portion of your council tax that funds local policing. It is set annually by the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) as one of their statutory responsibilities.

The precept helps pay for:

• Police officers and staff
• Emergency response and neighbourhood policing
• Crime prevention and victim support services
• Olice buildings, vehicles and equipment

Central government funding does not cover all policing costs, so the precept makes up the difference.

The Cheshire PCC proposes the amount, and it is scrutinised by the Police and Crime Panel before being approved.

Common reasons the policing precept has risen include:

• Rising costs (inflation, fuel, energy and pay awards for officers and staff)
• Investment in neighbourhood policing, to help communities to thrive

There is a £7.3m budget shortfall that needs to be addressed.

The Police and Crime Commissioner has the ability to only raise the policing precept by £11.67 for a Band B property (£15 a year for a Band D property).

Dan Price has written to the government requesting the permission to raise the precept by a higher amount to help save all PCSOs from being axed in Cheshire.

If the government don’t agree with this budget flexibility. The most Dan can raise the policing precept by is £11.67 (Band B). As a higher amount would need a referendum.

The Cheshire PCC must balance affordability with public safety, with lots of thought going into the police budget.

Freezing or reducing the precept may result in:

• Fewer police staff, and reduced specialist teams
• Reduced services and / or longer response times
• Less investment in crime prevention.

No. Each police force area sets its own precept, so amounts vary depending on:

• Local policing priorities
• Population size
• Levels of central government funding

Out of the 42 police force areas, Cheshire has the 11th lowest precept.

You can find detailed breakdowns in:

• PCC Annual Reports
• Police and Crime Plans
• Council Tax explanatory leaflets
• Cheshire PCC or Cheshire Constabulary’s website.

Your support through the police precept has enabled the Constabulary to improve performance in a number of key areas, including responding to incidents faster and answering emergency calls quicker.

In the survey, the PCC has outlined three options for the police precept. This is what each council tax band currently pays and the effects of each option:

Option 1 does not involve any increase to the precept.

Not sure which Band you’re in? Check here: www.gov.uk/council-tax-bands

We will not know a precise figure for how much any precept increase for 2026/27 would raise until the number of households in each band has been confirmed and the PCC has approved the budget.

However, the general assumption is that every extra £1 that is added to the precept gives funding of around £400,000.

You can see the breakdown of the Cheshire Police Budget for the current financial year 2025-2026 on the most recent Council Tax leaflet.

The government grant in 25/26 was £171m and the current provisional grant for 26/27 is £176.7m

Yes.

When families and businesses are having frank conversations about what they can and can’t afford, it would not be right to ask residents to pay more without first having that same conversation within the police service.

If the budget for next year does not include more money from the police precept, Cheshire Constabulary will have to make further savings beyond those already identified. This would inevitably have an impact on the level of service you receive.

It’s the PCC’s responsibility to ensure that your police service has the necessary resources to protect you. In order to do that, it’s important get your views on the police budget and precept.

While inflation has started to come down, the police service is still facing the same challenges as everyone else as a result of cost pressures.

The PCC knows that people feel the cost of living in different ways and that people will have different priorities for their police service, and that’s why he has presented a range of options in the survey.

The increase to the precept for the past two years was below the rate of inflation.

Once the police precept is set, it cannot be taken off Council Tax bills.

Therefore, setting the precept is not a decision that the PCC takes lightly, and he is aware that any increase to bills can affect residents in a variety of ways.

However, if you are struggling to pay your bill you should contact your local council. They will be able to help you in reviewing your Council Tax liability, checking for any potential discounts, and looking for any other exemptions or reductions.

Here are the links for each Local Authority in Cheshire:

• Cheshire East
• Cheshire West and Chester
• Halton
• Warrington

Information is also available from Citizens Advice at www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/council-tax/

The PCC wishes to be up front with people about the range of options that are available with regard to the precept for 2026-2027 financial year. The survey has been launched to obtain your views and your preferred option for your police service. The PCC will take all feedback into account before making his decision.

Before finalising the precept for the 2026-2027 financial year, the PCC must notify the Cheshire Police and Crime Panel of the proposed precept for its review and consideration.

The Panel must then submit a report to the PCC which may include recommendations. The Panel does, however, have a power to veto the PCC’s proposed precept.

The Panel may, therefore:

• Support the proposed precept without qualification or comment;
• Support the proposed precept and make recommendations to the Police and Crime Commissioner; or
• Veto the proposed precept (by the required majority of at least two thirds of the persons who are members of the Panel at the time the decision is made).

If the Panel does not veto the proposed precept, the PCC may issue the proposed precept as the precept for the 2026-2027 financial year or issue a different precept, but only if this is in accordance with a recommendation made within the Panel’s report to do so. In the event that the Panel vetoes the PCC’s proposed precept, the Panel must be notified of the PCC’s revised precept proposal.

The government announced in November that they would be abolishing Police and Crime Commissioners, as areas move towards devolution and mayoral authorities. However, this will not happen until May 2028, so until then it is business as usual for the PCC and his team. This work includes, protecting victims, reducing crime, listening to the public and modernising the Constabulary, all whilst continuing to hold the Chief Constable to account.

The PCC has a statutory responsibility to set the police budget for Cheshire. Until May 2028, normal business will continue, to ensure communities receive the efficient and effective police service they deserve.

Although the PCC sets the police budget, the Chief Constable makes the operational decisions regarding the placement of resources across the county. The Chief Constable is best placed to see which resources are needed where.