Police funding tax set to rise to over £350 a year

The average household in Surrey could pay more than £350 a year towards policing after a £15 council tax hike was given the go-ahead.

The police precept, the portion of council tax that funds Surrey Police, will rise from £338 to £352 a year for the average Band D home from April 2026 - a 4.4% increase from last year.

The rise was backed by the Surrey Police and Crime Panel, despite a debate over whether residents could afford it.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Lisa Townsend said the increase was needed to prevent services from deteriorating, warning that without the full rise, people could face slower answers to 999 calls and longer waits for officers to attend incidents.

"For every £1 on the precept, about £500,000 goes into the Force," she told the panel. "That equates to around 15 police staff or officers."

Ms Townsend said Surrey Police had become "one of the most improved forces in the country" in recent years, with more visible neighbourhood policing and better performance on crimes such as burglary and vehicle theft.

But she said rising demand and increasing costs meant those improvements were at risk, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

According to the PCC, on an average day, the force handles almost 1,700 contacts from the public, with 216 crimes reported and vehicles sent to almost 250 incidents.

She said the improvements achieved so far "simply cannot be sustained" without further funding.

Councillor Richard Wilson said many residents in his area were struggling to afford food, heating and rent.

He questioned whether it was the right time to increase bills and asked if Surrey, as a relatively low-crime county, could manage with a smaller force.

Kelvin Menon, chief finance officer for the PCC's office, said Surrey received one of the lowest levels of government grant in England, making it more reliant on council tax.

The PCC repeatedly assured the panel that Surrey Police had already delivered about £90m in savings over the past decade.

Even with the tax rise, the force still needs to find a further £5.5m in savings this year and more in the years ahead.

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