Still time to have your say on police budget – Come and meet your PCC

As Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Lorne Green, gears up to set the policing budget for 2017/18, there is still time for residents to have their say and help inform his decision.

The Commissioner, who will take his budget proposals to the Norfolk Police and Crime Panel on 2 February, is inviting people to share their views on whether or not they would support a rise in the policing element of the council tax they pay.

As well as running an online survey, people will have the opportunity to share their views face-to-face with the Commissioner in a number of locations over the coming week.

Lorne will be attending the King’s Lynn Safer Neighbourhood drop-in session at the council offices on 6 December from 11am, and will be at the Sheringham Town Council meeting at 8pm that evening.

On 7 December, the Commissioner will be joining police officers in Mulbarton for a street surgery outside the Co-Op store from 1pm, before spending some time on Norwich Market later that afternoon.

Lorne will also be attending the town council meeting in Aylsham on the evening of 8 December.

Having launched his budget consultation at a public meeting in Great Yarmouth earlier this month, the Commissioner says he is delighted with the response so far but wants to hear fro

“This is one of the most important decisions for which police and crime commissioners are responsible”, Lorne said, “and, while the buck does ultimately stop with me, with 40% of our policing budget coming from tax payers’ pockets, I want all Norfolk residents to have the opportunity to have their say.”

Norfolk’s policing service is facing an estimated budget gap of £3.5 million in 2017/18. The maximum council tax increase the Commissioner can consider is around 2% – equating tm more Norfolk residents before he sets the county’s policing budget and, with it, how much tax payers contribute.o an extra eight pence per week or £4.23 a year, for a household in a Band D property. Each 1% council tax increase generates £0.6 million, so a 2% increase would reduce the budget gap to £2.3 million.

Lorne added: “The Chief Constable has made it clear that, without a council tax increase for next year, he will be left with no choice but to make further cuts to service, which will very likely affect neighbourhood policing.

“People regularly tell me how important neighbourhood policing is to them, helping them be safe and feel safe, so I’m reaching out to them for their views before I have to make a decision.”

The PCC’s police budget consultation will run until 9 December. You can take the online survey here.