Suffolk council tax bills to rise by £15 to support policing budget
The increase applies to Band D households for the next financial year.
Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, has announced the policing portion of council tax will rise by £15 a year for Band D properties in the 2026/27 financial year.
The 5.2% precept increase, equivalent to 29p a week for Band D households and 22p for Band B households, was approved earlier today (30th January) at a meeting of Suffolk’s Police and Crime Panel.
The panel, which scrutinises the commissioner’s decisions, voted eight for the proposal, one against, with one abstention.
Explaining the reasons behind the rise, Tim Passmore said:
“As your Police and Crime Commissioner, setting the budget is one of my most important responsibilities.
“I must ensure that the Constabulary has the resources it needs to provide an efficient and effective service, whilst ensuring that I use Suffolk taxpayers’ money for the maximum benefit.
“We will continue to ensure the Constabulary makes savings, but the settlement we have received will just not allow us to keep pace with the increased pressure on the force.
“I have gone through the budget in great detail with the Chief Constable and our respective Chief Finance Officers and feel I had no option but to propose this increase.
“In short, the government settlement for the next financial year does not give me confidence that we will be able to maintain policing services in the county over the coming years. Without some level of investment, the Constabulary will simply not keep up with the increased demands placed upon it, and projections provided by the Constabulary show without this increase we are heading towards a significant deficit in future years.”
Passmore added that the additional funding would be directed toward investing in technology to increase efficiency and free up police officer time.
“This will allow us to improve visibility in our town centres and our rural communities, which I believe is what the people of Suffolk want,” he said.
Support for the decision was reflected in an online survey held in January with 57.10% of the 1,206 respondents backing the proposed increase.
Suffolk’s Police and Crime Panel will continue to oversee and scrutinise the implementation of the precept rise.