Police force’s thin blue line could get thinner
POLICE chiefs fear current policing levels across Suffolk will not be maintained unless they are allowed to raise their share of next year’s council tax.
Chief Constable Simon Ash will tell a meeting of the county’s police authority tomorrow that should it not agree the 3.75 per cent rise police officer numbers would fall below 1,200, a figure which senior officers believe would leave them with serious issues in how they patrol the county.
The force has said it needs to make savings of £16 million over the mext four years rather than the £13.6 million it had originally envisaged.
The increase in the police part of the council tax precept would bring in an extra £1.55 million compared to accepting a one-off £1.25 million grant from the Government if there is no rise.
In a report to members, Mr Ash and Chris Bland, the police authority’s treasurer, said the financial challenge it faced had become greater as a result of national cost pressures.
Freezing the precept would result in at least £1.6 million less in funding in the following years as the Government grant would be a one-off payment and council tax income would be reduced as a result of the freeze.
The report also sets out the latest savings plan for the constabulary over the next four years and shows that £4.7 million has been cut over the past 12 months mainly through the force sharing services with Norfolk Police.
Suffolk County Council’s cabinet is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss its budget for the next financial year.
It wants to freeze its share of council tax but wants to save £26 million, including £8 million from its adult social care budget, £12 million in efficiency savings and £1.5 million in management costs.
The proposed 2012/13 budget includes capital investment of £115 million in major projects including the reorganisation of schools, delivering better broadband for Suffolk and continued investment in the county’s road network.
Council leader Cllr Mark Bee said: “I’ve made it very clear that what I want to see from this process is the creation of a budget that saves money on back office staff and bureaucracy, protects, as much as possible, front line services and keeps council tax down.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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