Council tax will rise to fund Wiltshire Police. Band D properties will pay £14 more per year.
Property taxes will increase to fund the police. Band D properties will pay £14 more yearly. Lower bands pay less; higher bands pay more.
Local tax money and government funds support policing. This money forms Wiltshire’s entire policing budget.
Wilkinson thanked the panel for their budget approval. He wants to make Wiltshire safer for everyone. Wiltshire Police must still save £6.8 million. He wants the police to improve services with less funding.
The government will release £200 million. It needs to be invested in the neighbourhood police. This is outside of standard funding. The budget came just days after the announcement.
Wilkinson’s team studies the impact on the county. Up to £1.6 million may be used only for neighborhood patrol. “Business as usual” doesn’t qualify. The PCC warned against expecting financial changes. This money does not alter Wiltshire Police’s overall finances.
Extra neighborhood policing money is welcome, but it does not greatly affect their budget. Wiltshire Police still needs to save £6.8 million.
The government is adding “icing on the cake,” but they are not giving the basic ingredients. We await more details to bring the extra money. We cannot hire more neighborhood officers right now. We must fund them in future years. This is due to the existing financial plan.