Equality questions over police council tax rise

As the police and crime panel in Suffolk agreed to ask residents to pay 5.2% more in council tax for their policing component, questions were raised over equality.

Franstine Jones, independent co-opted member of the panel, told the BBC that the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) should be required to demonstrate how a £15-a-year increase would affect low-income families, minority groups, and disabled people.

Jones said the PCC "should show evidence of how they have paid due regard to the Equality Act".

Suffolk's PCC Tim Passmore agreed, saying: "I speak to all sorts of groups all over the county of all sorts of backgrounds and I think perhaps formal documentation of that is needed".

The PCC sets what is known as the police precept each year, and today the panel voted it through, although the decision was not unanimous.

The total bill for a Band D property will now be £304.47, just over 5% up on last year.

Passmore said: "I'm pleased it's got through. I'm well aware of the inflationary impact of this, but we've got to make sure that the force is properly funded. We've got the third lowest crime rate in the country."

He added that although the force had shown "a very, very good performance", he felt this could be jeopardised if the increase was not passed.

During the debate, Jones, a former civilian for Suffolk Police for 10 years, said she appreciated the work the PCC does, but was concerned that minority voices could get lost in the decision-making because only 1,200 people, out of a possible 769,000 in Suffolk, had responded to the commissioner's survey about the precept.

She said: "I'm worried that the impact will be more on those who are in those protected characteristics, the low-income families, the minoritised groups, the disabled people, and I just wanted to make sure that the PCC's office wasn't just ticking a box. They should show evidence."

Passmore agreed that documentation should be provided. He said: "I hope people realise that I do listen to what people say and it's very much what's in the best interests of the whole of Suffolk and that includes everybody, young or old, regardless of background, colour or creed."

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