Panel to discuss police precept

Panel to discuss police precept

DYFED Powys Police and Crime Panel is to discuss the Commissioner’s budget plans for the coming year.

Meeting at the end of this week, the panel will discuss the proposed police precept being put forward by the Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn.

The panel, which was set up to support and scrutinise the Police and Crime Commissioner, usually meets every three months.

It has the power to approve or veto decisions on issues such as the council tax precept.

Mr Llywelyn has carried out a public consultation on police funding and will inform the panel of the findings when it meets on Friday, January 27.

Local policing is funded from a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s current budget is £93.342million, with £43.330million of this coming from the police precept.

If the police precept aspect of the Council Tax is increased by %, a Band D householder would pay an additional , and Dyfed-Powys Police’s annual budget would increase by .

Panel vice chair Cllr Alun Lloyd Jones said: “One of the functions of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel is to consider the budget plans of the Commissioner and his recommended police precept.

“It is a delicate balance between providing the vital resource needed to police the area, and the impact upon taxpayers.

“It is for the panel to approve or block his recommendations in the best interests of people in the Dyfed Powys force area.”

The panel is made of up of members nominated by the four councils in the force area: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys; and at least two independent members. Carmarthenshire County Council is the lead authority for the panel.

The meetings are open to the press and public, and with the prior permission of the chair, people can ask questions or make a statement in relation to a matter being considered by the panel, with the exception of personnel matters.

Questions can also be submitted to the panel either in writing or via the website contact form.

Information about the panel, agendas, meeting dates, membership and news is available on the website at http://www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.org.uk/