Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams will present his five-year budget and council tax precept proposal at a meeting of the Staffordshire Police, Fire & Crime Panel.
During the meeting on Monday (6th February), the panel will hear from the Commissioner about Staffordshire Police’s financial position, including their response to the additional pressures caused by inflation and increased fuel costs, and what this means for their reserves. Staffordshire Fire & Rescue’s financial position will be discussed on Monday 13th February. Both meetings can be watched live from 2pm.
The panel represents the public in holding the Commissioner to account, and is made up of local authority representatives together with independent members.
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “It is my duty to secure effective and efficient Police and Fire & Rescue services that ensure community needs are met while commissioning services to prevent crime, reduce anti-social behaviour and support victims across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
“We all face financial uncertainty due to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and high inflation so setting this five-year budget has been testing but the financial position in Staffordshire is relatively strong and allows for investment thanks to both services exceeding their savings targets.
“I will always aim to keep council tax as low as possible and I am very aware of the pressures on household budgets so I am proposing increases for 2023/24 which are lower than the limits set by government and below headline inflation rates. Even so, contributions at this level will mean more service improvements while securing the future of our Police and Fire & Rescue services.”
Find out more about the Staffordshire Commissioner’s council tax proposals at the meeting: Police, Fire and Crime Panel – Staffordshire Commissioner (staffordshire-pfcc.gov.uk)
