Dyfed Powys Police precept to rise by 8.6 per cent

Bruce Sinclair, local democracy reporter

The part of the council tax bill allocated to Dyfed Powys police is to rise by nearly nine per cent, amid a backdrop of what are described as long-term “significant reductions in central government funding.”

The average household will be paying £360 for that element alone for the next financial year.

The overall council tax bill for residents in the counties of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Powys is made up of the county council element of the council tax, the Dyfed-Powys Police precept, and individual town or community council precepts.

At last week’s meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel, held at County Hall, Haverfordwest, Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn called for a raising of the precept by nearly nine per cent for the 2025-’26 financial year, up from the agreed level of £332.03 for an average band D property in 2024-‘25.

The proposed increase follows a public consultation.

Financial challenges

A report at at the meeting noted: “The Dyfed-Powys Police Service has faced significant financial challenges since 2010 due to significant reductions in central government funding, the legacy of implications arising from previous decision-making, along with significant cost pressures and continual changes in the demand for policing services, against a very challenging financial and economic landscape.”

It added: “I am painfully aware of the pressures that the cost-of-living crisis continue to put on our communities. There is a fine balance between ensuring an efficient and effective, visible and accessible Policing Service, addressing operational services demands to ensure the safety of the public, whilst also ensuring value for money for the taxpayers and sound financial management.

“Having undertaken a comprehensive process, I am confident in the robustness of this MTFP, but this does not underestimate the difficult decisions or indeed mitigate the financial challenges and uncertainties which are outside of our control.

“I therefore submit my precept proposal for scrutiny by the Dyfed- Powys Police and Crime Panel, which will raise the average Band D property precept by £2.39 per month or £28.65 per annum to £360.68, an 8.6 per cent increase. This increase will raise a total precept of £86.366m.

“This will provide a total funding of £153.304m, representing a £9.4m/6.5 per cent increase on the revised funding for 2024/25.”

Central government funding

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Llewellyn said the proposal “isn’t something cobbled together in the last few weeks,” with initial suggestions of a 12 per cent increase lowered to 9.8 before being refined to the final 8.6 per cent, along with budget savings.

He told the meeting Dyfed-Powys had the lowest precept cost of any of the forces in Wales but the funds from the precept, but 56 per cent of its total funds came from the precept for a force facing increased financial pressures, with the remaining 44 coming from an “obtuse” and “complex” central government funding formula.

“It is with a heavy heart that I come to you to support this precept at a higher than inflation level,” he said.

After a lengthy debate the 8.6 per cent proposal was unanimously backed.

For the individual council tax bands of A-I, the agreed levels, and increase on last year, are: £240.46 (+£19.10), £280.53 (+£22.29), £320.61 (+£25.47), £360.68 (+£28.65), £440.84 (+£35.02), £520.99 (+£41.39), £601.14 (+£47.76), £721.37 (+£57.31), and £841.60 (+£66.86).

Local authorities are due to decide their council tax levels in February and March.

Ceredigion is currently mooting a near-10 per cent increase in that element of the overall council tax bill.

Anyone paying a premium on council tax, such as second home-owners, also pay the premium on the police precept, meaning their bills for this element are proportionately higher.