Like most households and businesses, I am awaiting announcements from central government on budgets and funding, conscious that the smoke signals are anything but positive.
Every Council Tax payer makes a contribution known as the “precept” to the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), who then uses that money to fund crime prevention, victim support and police services. To ensure that value for tax payer money is achieved, I am starting a root and branch review of spending. I am determined that every penny will be spent in the most effective way to keep the public as safe as possible.
My budget has to pay for a lot more than just police services - such as crime prevention and support for victims of crime. To date, the government has not told me how much funding I will receive from them, nor what parameters they intend to set regarding local contributions. This is a responsibility of the national government that they have not yet fulfilled.
There is a real danger that the national government may seek to put pressure on PCCs to use local taxation to plug the black hole caused by lack of Government funding. I’m all for local funding shaping local decisions, but I don’t feel quite the same way about local funding covering central government shortfall.
To put things into perspective, in 2025-26 the Government provided 56% of my £255m budget for policing, crime prevention and victim support services, with the remaining 44% paid by local taxpayers through part of their overall Council Tax bill. At the same time, they landed us with a bill to pay for national insurance hikes and pay increases which, despite protestations to the contrary, they did not cover.
That’s why I’m asking the public for their views. It is your police force, your community’s safety and your victim support service, so it is only right that you have a say on the budget to cover that.
Thank you for taking part in the survey.
Yours faithfully,
Rupert Matthews
Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland
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