Home > Your commissioner > Finances and spending > Police precept

Police precept

The police precept is what Cleveland residents pay towards the cost of policing, community safety and victims’ services as part of their annual Council Tax bill.

The police precept is a payment by residents to help cover the cost of local policing.

Cash is collected as part of the Council Tax payments in Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland.

Money from the precept goes to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC,) who gives it to Cleveland Police.

The PCC has a duty to consult residents on the annual precept before making recommendations to Cleveland’s Police and Crime Panel.

The Police Precept makes up 26.3% of the PCC’s £155m annual budget. Most of the funding to pay for police, community safety and victims’ services comes from an annual Government grant.

Less than 1% of the budget is spent on staffing in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC.)

Where does the PCC funding come from pie chart.

Have your say on the police budget for 2021/2022

The OPCC has launched their annual consultation on the 2021-22 budget for policing, community safety and victim services.

The Government has confirmed that PCCs will have the ability to increase precept by up to £15 a year for a Band D property.

In Cleveland, such an increase would provide maximum protection for existing levels of service, but would still require Cleveland Police to make efficiency savings. A smaller increase would require more significant savings to be made and may result in a reduction of existing service levels.

Considering the challenging financial circumstances facing policing and the wider impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, respondents will be asked to consider how affordable a maximum increase would be for their household.

Complete the 2021-22 budget survey

2020-21 Public Consultation

In 2020-2021, the views of Cleveland’s taxpayers were sought via an online survey. 

Almost two thirds of the 370 respondents said they would support an increase in Cleveland’s policing precept.

The PCC’s proposal was to increase the police precept on Council Tax bills by £10 a year for Band D properties.

In addition to the consultation, the PCC also took into account the following:

  • The financial impact on the people of Cleveland;
  • The financial needs of the organisation both now and in the future; 
  • Government limits on an increase in the precept before a referendum would be triggered; 
  • Discussions with Chief Constable.

The final decision on the following year’s police precept was made by Cleveland’s Police and Crime Panel.

To help them come to a decision, the PCC also gave the panel information on:

  • The draft budget based on the proposed increase in the precept;
  • The draft Capital Budget; 
  • Full details of the public consultation.

PCC Policing Precept Leaflets and Information

PCC Policing Precept Consultation Documents

Police and Crime Panel Precept Reports

Related pages

Page last updated: 18 December 2020