Commissioner's column: The huge difference council taxpayers are making to local policing

The essential contributions council taxpayers and second homeowners in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly provide to fund local policing compared with other force areas has been highlighted this month in a new official report published by the Home Office. 

Out of all the 43 forces across England Wales during the current financial year, Devon & Cornwall Police is receiving £192.2 million from council taxpayers to help part-fund the delivery of a sustainable and effective police service. This puts our force around the middle of the league table in terms of highest and lowest contributions. 

An important part of my role as Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is setting the local police precept – the amount residents pay for policing in their council tax – as well as the police budget. 

The Police and Crime Panel – which supports and challenges me to ensure I am carrying out my functions – agreed to my proposal to increase the police precept this year by a total of £13.70 for the whole year. It was a 4.99 per cent increase, compared with 4.95 per cent the previous year. It means that Band D households have been paying £28.82 a month from April 2025 over 10 months instead of £27.45.  

The financial challenges facing police forces gave PCCs flexibility this year to raise the precept by a maximum of £14. Unlike many other PCCs, I chose not to do this – like in many previous years since I have held this office – because I do not wish to place further financial burdens on individuals and families who are already struggling to make ends meet. The second homeowner council tax increase has helped plug that gap. 

However, the reality is that the ongoing challenging national economic picture and increasing demands on police resources is impacting operational policing with significant increases in areas such as pay and inflation rates which are outside of the control of PCCs. 

This year local authorities introduced additional council tax charges to second homeowners, with policing being one of the beneficiaries. I fully supported the decision because this alone has boosted Devon & Cornwall’s policing budget with an extra £6 million. It means it is not in the position of many other forces which are maximising the council tax flexibility and planning on reductions in police officers to balance their budgets unless the government steps in. 

This additional income has allowed me to retain police officer numbers at their record levels of 3,610. Some of that additional income is also being put to great use by investing in interventions which tackle key issues in my Police and Crime Plan, based on the feedback that communities have given me.  These include tackling anti-social behaviour and extending our successful Street Focus campaign in Torquay to new areas and introducing new Night Bus schemes to reduce violence against women and girl. 

The latest results of my ongoing Your Safety Your Say survey – Have Your Say Today – Young voices in policing – Devon And Cornwall Police And Crime Commissioner’s Office shows that 51 per cent of respondents were ‘very supportive’ of council tax from second homes funding more police on the streets. 

Thanks to all precept contributions and government funding, Devon & Cornwall Police and my office have and are continuing to deliver notable improvements. These include: 

We are always looking at ways that money can be spent more wisely. Just one example of this is reducing senior roles to put more bobbies on the beat. The rank review undertaken by Chief Constable James Vaughan has already resulted in more constables being back on the frontline across the two counties 

Although I am grateful that most public funding for police forces in England and Wales is provided by the Home Office through the police funding settlement, I believe the percentage our force area receives does not recognise the policing implications of the summer surge of tourism which is stretching our force once again during the holiday season. I have been making this case for many years and will continue to do so until it is recognised as we are still the number one domestic tourist destination. 

I am grateful to all officers and staff for their dedication to continue to keep our communities and streets safe, but I remain committed to fighting for fairer local  policing funding and will continue to make approaches to the government. 

My overall ongoing commitment remains creating and maintaining ‘safe, resilient, connected communities where everyone plays their part’ with a focus on police performance and four priorities – antisocial behaviour, drugs and alcohol, serious violence, theft and victims – as set out in my Police and Crime Plan for 2025-29. 

To view the latest Home Office report for Police Funding for England and Wales 2015 to 2026, please click here.